Russia has recently focused on the Arctic development and it is people that are well known to make all the difference. Sergey Baryshnikov, Rector of the Admiral Makarov State University of Maritime and Inland Shipping, tells IAA PortNews about training the personnel for operation at the Northern Sea Route and about participation of the University in related international projects.

Russia is going to facilitate Arctic developments with tax incentives, construction of Arctic fleet including 110-MWt nuclear powered icebreaker and creation of the Far North transport infrastructure. There is no slack from Russia’s rivals in warmer countries – by the time Russian projects are launched, LNG from Qatar and Australia may occupy the lion’s share of the market leaving Russia to solve the pipeline transit problems.

Despite Russia’s accession to the WTO, Kaliningrad region continues to experience discriminatory tariff policy from Lithuania and Belarus. The region seeks to have a deepwater port, professionals debate its project feasibility, authorities have found an investor and mull over a cruise terminal.

Photo report by a PortNews correspondent about local features of passenger traffic on the Yenisei River

President Vladimir Putin endorsed a scheme, according to which the civil shipbuilding issues will not be exclusively in the hands of United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) and the Ministry of Industry and Trade. The latter was blasted for poor management, and Zvezda shipbuilding project was handed over to a consortium of investors that consists of potential customers of its products.

An updated Transport Strategy 2030 was prepared by the Ministry of Transportation that seems to be over-hasty as the ambitious program was presented before the approval by the Russian government of the Budget strategy for the same period.

In a recent interview with IAA PortNews President of the Yenisei Shipowners Association, General Director of JSC Yenisei River Shipping Company Alexander Ivanov touched upon the challenges facing the shipping companies operating on Russia’s inland waterways.

The Marine Board, an advisory body of RF Government, is turning into a “ministry without portfolio” destined to coordinate the activities on the development of domestic shipbuilding in the segment of large capacity vessels. The United Shipbuilding Corporation and the Ministry of Industry and Trade are put to the back burner.

According to RF Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manturov, Russian shipbuilding has overcome the technological gap accumulated in 90-ies. As an example, he mentioned the construction of composite vessels being developed in Russia. However, the demand for domestic products needs to be encouraged. Therefore, the Ministry of Industry and Trade supports the initiative of utilization grants.

Russian Railways has recently been attacked from all directions. The Transport Ministry condemns the slowdown in the development of infrastructure at close approaches to Ust-Luga while the court takes the side of Petrotrans-Primorsk in a dispute over the reconstruction of Vyborg-Primorsk-Yermilovo railway branch. Meanwhile, Russian Railways says the works in Ust-Luga are on schedule and insists that the company is right in the dispute with Petrotrans-Primorsk.