In 2008, throughput of St. Petersburg port stayed at the level of the previous year. Unlike other years when cargo turnover used to grow by 10-20% per year, in 2008 the port’s throughput increased by only 1% thus making it not possible for the port to overpass the level of 60 million tonnes

In early February 2009, North-West Alliance LLCplans to commence construction of the first phase of Marine Oil Terminal Vistino in the Kingisepp district. Contrary to the company’s plans to commission the terminal in late 2008, the permit to start the construction within the framework of the project’s first phase was obtained by North-West Alliance from the Kingisepp district Administration only in January

RF Transport Ministry has approved the procedure for obtaining permits for coastal shipping and tugging when it comes to vessels flying foreign flags and those registered with the Russian International Register of Vessels. The Order specifies a uniform procedure as well as a full list of grounds for rejection

In navigation 2008, Volgo-Balt SBD serviced almost 4,000 kilometers of inland waterways having carried 18.2 million tonnes of cargo including 7.2 million tonnes of cargo transported towards the Volga, 11.0 million tonnes – towards the Baltic Sea including 7.0 million tonnes of export cargo. During the navigation period, Volgo-Balt SBD rendered its services to 143 shipping companies

PortNews information & analytical agency supported by the Association of Shipping Companies and Saint Petersburg Transit Transport Committee has held a Round Table meeting "Prospects of container transportation by Russia’s inland waterways" within the framework of Transtek-2008. Recommendations of the meeting partisipants have been sent to the RF executive and legislative authorities

The volume of cargo carried by the Azerbaijan State Caspian Shipping Company (CASPAR) in the 9-month period of 2008 exceeded 8.5 mln t of cargo. In 2009 the company plans to obtain permits for 20 vessels to pass inland waterways of Russia. Aidyn Bashyrov, head of CASPAR tells PortNews IAA about the company’s results and implementation of its new projects

Within the framework of Transtek-2008 exhibition held in St. Petersburg, PortNews IAA supported by RosMorPort FSUE, Russian Association of Marine and River Bunker Suppliers as well as the Association of Sea Commercial Ports held a Round Table meeting “Port Service as an Instrument to Improve Port Attractiveness”. Recommendations of the Round Table meeting have been sent to the RF executive and legislative authorities

On December 11 Baltiysky Zavod shipyard delivered the first diesel-electric icebreaker ever built in the Russian Federation to the customer, RosMorPort FSUE. The Moskva is a head icebreaker of the project 21900 within the framework of which one more icebreaker is do be delivered in 2009. According to the heads of Russia’s transport sector, the event marks the revival of national shipbuilding in the sphere of icebreakers, which is to reinforce Russia’s positions in the Arctic

RF Ministry of Transport is going to develop an integrated information system of safe navigation. Its interaction with other information systems is supposed to make it possible to solve a number of urgent issues of maritime and inland water transport

Russian regions can create and develop there own ports now. A corresponding law was signed by Russian President on November 25, 2008. Experts think the law will be useful mainly for regions crossed by international transport corridors