Port Vysotsky gets deeper

LLC Port Vysotsky has just started handling Panamax vessels. The first ship of deadweight of over 80,000 tons was loaded on August 21-24 at the port’s terminal and took additional loads at outer anchorage. The company has received two notifications of arrival and handling of the same class ships in September.

The market conditions – lower demand for coal in Europe and strong rivalry with the Baltic coal terminals force Russian stevedore companies to seek new ways to improve their competitiveness. The main argument in the competition is the capability to accommodate larger ships, because the larger the vessel the port can handle the lower the client’s cost per ton of coal.

Initially, the port of Vysotsk based in Leningrad region could handle vessels with deadweight not exceeding 25,000 tons. However, thanks to dredging and other works implemented by Rosmorport the approach channel and harbor waters have been deepened to 12.7 m. Now, the port is able to accommodate vessels with draft of 11.9m (vs 9.3m previously) and deadweight of more than 80,000 tons. To facilitate the access of ships to the port the approach channel was widened up to 50 meters. Today, its width is 200 m and the port has installed special navigational aid equipment, including light buoys, which makes it easier to come in and out of the channel at any time of the day.

Though, the ships with DWT of over 70,000 tons now can dock at the port’s coal terminal, the depth is not enough to load all cargo at the berths, so the stevedoring company had to offer its customers to load the rest of the coal volume onto large-tonnage vessels at offshore anchorage, utilizing shuttle vessels. This is how the first Panamax ship GOLDEN SPRING was handled. This 83,730DWT ship called at Vysotsk port on August 19 at 8:30 p.m. The cargo was loaded by five bulk-handling cranes. On August 21 the bulker was loaded with 58,654 tons of coal to its maximum draft at the berth. The rest 16,598 tons were loaded onto the ship on August 22 and 24 at the outer anchorage from a shuttle vessel. The total volume of loaded coal was 75,252 tons. Overall, the loading operation took four days and 10 hours. At 8:30 a.m. on August 24 the M/V GOLDEN SPRING headed for the Port of Immengem (UK). Earlier, the large-tonnage cargo ships were sailing from Vysotsk to the Baltic ports, so the geography of deliveries increased by enabling access to the port for Panamax ships.

Now, the stevedore is set to handle Panamax vessels regularly and has already been notified on arrivals and handling of two large-tonnage ships in September, the Company Board’s Chairman Oleg Filatov said.

In July this year Rosmorport has constructed at Vysotsk a 100-meter-long pier at Berth No 1, which will enable LLC Port Vysotsky to accommodate at the coal terminal two Panamax size ships simultaneously. Today, three ships (one of them – Panamax sized one) can dock at the terminal.
Oleg Filatov says Port Vysotsky today is competing, first of all, with coal terminals in Riga, Ventspils and Tallinn ports, and the dwell time of a ship at the Russian port is nearly the same of that at Ventspils port, which boasts one of the most modern coal terminals. The Port Vystotsky’s primary objective is to boost cargo throughput to 4.5-5 million tons a year. So, the Company is investing in the terminal modernization and streamlining of internal logistics. In April and June, the port commissioned new Mantsinen 120R cranes, which can increase the unloading of coal from railcars and that consume less fuel by 30%.

However, further development of the port is limited by the railroad capacity, which currently is able to handle only 5 million tons of cargo a year. To expand its throughput capacity it is necessary to build the Losevo-Kamenogorsk bypass of the main Vyborg main line. This would increase coal exports via Vysotsk and allow diversification of handled cargo at the terminal.
The European coal market, as opposed to Asia-Pacific region, is rather thin and does not demonstrate growth trend. Moreover, the end of 2011 and the first quarter of 2012 showed a decrease in coal exports to Europe. So, the competition between terminals of Russia and the Baltic states for the chance to transship Russian coal is very high. One of the main objectives of the state, private businesses in the development of sea ports is to ensure that Russian exports will be moved through domestic terminals, to reduce dependence on neighboring countries and the development of its own economy. The appropriate measures have been taken by the ports, now it’s the turn of the railroad.

Vitaly Chernov.