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  • 2008 October 9

    Russia’s inland waterways in wait for containers

    On September, 7 2008, PortNews information & analytical agency supported by the Association of Shipping Companies and Saint Petersburg Transit Transport Committee held a Round Table meeting "Prospects of container transportation by Russia’s inland waterways" within the framework of Transtek-2008 exhibition.  The Association of Ports and River Transport Shipowners as well as Povolzhskaya Logistics Association also assisted in holding the meeting. The event was sponsored by Volgo-Baltic Logistics, LITER, Vision Fleet, Greenway – Customs Broker and Eurosib Terminal.

     

    State investment into the technical state of Russia’s inland waterways has increased considerably for the last two years. It resulted in revitalization of the shipping industry and ship cargo owners found a possibility to carry out seasonal transportation by a cheaper transport as compared with railways while ship owners were set thinking about perspectives of their fleet renovation. Meanwhile the world trading tends to focus on transportation of containerized cargo. Such measure as TEU is getting more widespread not only in international cargo transportation. Container flow from seaports and border crossings to Russian regions is shooting like a beanstalk.

     

    As long as Russia’s inland waterways are closed for foreign vessels our national shipping business has an opportunity to be the first in opening of anew market of transport services – container transportation by inland waterways.

    Participants of the Round table meeting tried to evaluate the demand for such services, as well as the ability of carriers and river ports to handle container flows. They also made economic calculations as regards transportation of containers by Russian rivers. One of the key questions for the meeting participants was what hinders the appearance of new market at Russia’s inland waterways?

     

    The results of the first public discussion of subject are quite positive. Many participants expressed their hope that navigation 2009 could see a berth of new transport services at Russian rivers and vessels loaded with multi-colored containers could pass under draw bridges of St. Petersburg during a “white night” period.

    PortNews IAA thanks all the participants of the Round Table meeting for the attention paid to the event. We provide our readers with a photo report on the meeting.

     


    Orinicheva Irina Vladimirovna, Head of a subdivision for inland waterway of the Department for state policy related to marine and river transport, RF Transport Ministry

     

     


    Redkin Aleksei Danilovich, Vice-president of Association of Ports and Shipowners of the River Transport

     


     


    Smirnov Nikolai Grigoryevich, President of the Association of Shipping Companies

     

     

     


    Vygovsky Albert Nikolayevich, Director General of Volgo-Baltic Logistics

     

     

     

     


    Seredenko Gennadi Nikolayevich, representative of Volgo-Baltic Logistics

     

     

     

     


    Borodin Boris Viktorovich, First Deputy to the Head of Customs Control of the Baltic Customs

     

     

     

     

     


    Shershneva Olga Viktorovna, Development Expert of GK LITER

     

     

     

     

     

    Matrenichev Igor Anatoljevich, Head of Commercial Department of Eurosib-Terminal CJSC

     

     

     


    Olga Gopkalo, Chief Expert of design institute MorStroiTekhnologiya LLC

     

     

     

     


    Pimonenko Mikhail Mikhailovich, Director of the North-WestTransport Logistics Center

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     


     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

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