The fall of oil market has surprisingly made coal a more expensive fuel as compared with oil and LNG. This fossil fuel can thus loose some of its markets as renewable energy is getting cheaper. In this case, investments in non-dedicated terminals can prove to be inefficient.

Hardly had the bunkering market adapted to the new IMO sulphur cap when it was attacked by a ‘black swan’ of coronavirus and a slump of oil prices. In the result, bunkering is less profitable in Russia now than in other countries.

The coronavirus spreading across the planet has lead to en masse cancellation of cruises, sinking of container ports’ throughput and growth of supertanker freight rates due to fall of oil prices. Logistic specialists postpone container shipments with the stagnation expected to continue till mid-summer 2020.

Accelerated development of Russia’s Arctic requires the creation of related stevedoring infrastructure for handling of transit and project cargo. The north-west of the Murmansk Region, namely the Liinakhamary area, is a favorable location for a transshipment facility.

The scope of dredging and hydraulic engineering works in Russia is expected to grow this year. A series of 20 units is to be built for operations on inland water ways. Damen shares its innovative technologies with the industry. Those and other topics were in the spotlight of the 3rd International Congress “Hydraulic Engineering Structures and Dredging”.

MSCC Bronka is the youngest and in many senses unrivalled terminal of Big Port St. Petersburg. In his interview with IAA PortNews, Aleksey Shukletsov, Executive Director of OOO Fenix (operator of Multipurpose Sea Cargo Complex Bronka in Saint-Petersburg), tells about Bronka development, logistic facilities construction, container market situation, prospects for application of innovative technologies.

In the end of 2019, Russian Maritime Register of Shipping amended the scheme of technical supervision in industry. Manufacturers now take over part of responsibility for their product quality control. Those having shifted to the new scheme are positive about this decision and see it as and advancement.

Shipyards worldwide are overloaded with orders for installation of scrubbers on seagoing vessels. Against this background, IMO starts discussing environmental hazards from discharge of scrubber washwater. Environmentalists are pushing for a ban on scrubbers and on the use of heavy fuel oil in the Arctic.

Coronaviral infection exerts a significant impact on cargo traffic, ports and shipping. The problem has touched the container flow from China and LNG transportation. Not only do stevedoring and shipping companies face difficulties, it is also a tough time for forwarders who run the risk of “holding the bag” due to delayed deliveries.

Despite general decrease of Russian cargo transshipment via the ports of the Baltic states and Finland, turnover of domestically produced mineral fertilizers grew in 2019 driven by their handling in Sillamae and Kotka. The situation can be reversed through liberalization of Russian laws and phasing out of agricultural imports.