Damen Shipyards Group has started building LNG bunker ships with a focus on the Baltic Sea. The first customer, an Estonian company, had initiated serial construction of such vessels. Russian companies are getting a good look at the new ship.

Coal terminal in Lavna is being prepared for construction work. The ground preparation and levelling is underway. IAA PortNews correspondent was watching rock shattering works on the western coast of the Kola Bay.

Discussions about shifting of port facilities beyond the center of Saint-Petersburg have intensified again. It is the right moment taking into consideration excessive container handling facilities and lack of land for development purposes. Implementation of this idea could ensure additional income for the city – from both developing and shaping of an industrial port zone in Bronka and Lomonosov.

AO Vostochny Port, operator of Russia’s largest dedicated coal port (run by OOO Port Management Company), is building public railway tracks as part of its project on construction of the coal terminal’s Phase 3, Irina Olkhovskaya, First Deputy to General Director of Port Management Company, told IAA PortNews.

ZAO Bunker Company (Arkhangelsk) holds the leading position in the market of oil products transportation to the Far North regions. In its interview with IAA PortNews, Andrey Krykov, General Director of the company, tells about its activities and development plans.

Crimean authorities have decided to reject the construction of a cement transshipment terminal at the port of Feodosia. The terminal estimated at RUB 111 million is to handle cement coming to Crimea from the Krasnodar Territory. Officials say the investor is dragging out the works and the terminal will harm the environment. The investor disagrees with the authorities while it can lose RUB 56 million of investments.

New coal terminal of Vanino port will be opened in the Muchke Bay in December 2019. Yury Tyamushkin, General Director of company VaninoTransUgol, tells IAA PortNews about specific features of this project.

Unmanned, autonomous shipping, e-Navigation and digitization of logistics, are not just a harebrained scheming but features of the forthcoming fourth edition of industrial revolution. Russia has a unique chance to make an innovative leap, and the waterborne transport segment could be one of the most promising.

Russia’s Far East Basin is among the most promising ones. At the same time it requires significant investments in the development of stevedoring and railway infrastructure, shipbuilding, ship repair and environment protection. All these issues are in the focus at the Eastern Economic Forum.

Global tanker market is having a tough time amid trade wars, excessive tonnage and reduction of oil production in OPEC+ countries. The situation can improve with introduction of tougher sulfur content requirements for marine fuel from 2020, increased demand for oil products and decrease of tonnage. In this case, Russia can become a “safe harbor” for the domestic tanker fleet.