Private investor needs guarantees on long-term lease of berths,- says Morport OJSC management
Private investor needs guarantees on long-term lease of state infrastructure objects, first of all – berths and plots of land. This opinion has been expressed to PortNews IAA at Sea Port Saint Petersburg OJSC. According to the management of Morport OJSC, the period of lease should correspond with the payback period of an investment project that is 20 - 25 years minimum for port terminals according to the world practice. “We agree that the state should introduce market rates into the lease payments for the objects of government property in ports”, the company says. “But in this case market approach should be applied when setting the tariffs for loading/unloading work in ports. That means that the state should symmetrically take off marginal limits, restraining these tariffs”. According to the management of Morport OJSC, when setting the rates for lease it is necessary to consider technical condition of the berths under situation when their overhaul is not sufficiently financed by Rosmorport FSUE, tariff limits adopted in Russia and world practice of stable relations between state and ports. “Otherwise raise of rent price will not just be reflected at the profit of the companies working at the ports, but will also result in decrease of tax payments”, the company thinks.
We’d like to remind that hearing at the Arbitrage court of Saint Petersburg and Leningrad Region as regards the claim of Saint Petersburg prosecutor’s office against Rosmorport and Morport SPb OJSC related the agreements on lease of the port’s berths is scheduled for August-September of the current year. Today Sea Port Saint Petersburg group of companies holds a lease of 37 berths. 5 berths of them are out of operation as it is necessary to repair them. Lease of 15 other berths terminates on December 31, 2016, while the agreements on the lease of all the rest berths have been concluded «for an unspecified period». The claims have been filed not only against Sea Port Saint Petersburg OJSC but also against First Stevedoring Company, Forth Stevedoring Company, First Container Terminal, Neva-Metal, Baltic Bulk Terminal, Port Fleet and other stevedoring companies of the Big Port Saint Petersburg.
