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FESCO diesel-electric ship Vasily Golovnin set off on a new Antarctic expedition

January 25 2023

According to FESCO, the ship left the port of Cape Town last week and is already on its way to the Indian research stations Bharati and Maitri.

The diesel-electric ship will deliver a team of Indian polar explorers, fuel and provisions there. It will also take out household and technical garbage from the stations. Another point on the route of Vasily Golovnin will be the Belgian station “Princess Elisabeth”. The voyage will last until April 2023. This is the second FESCO Antarctic expedition under a new five-year contract with the National Center for Polar and Oceanic Research of the Indian Ministry of Geosciences (NCPOR).

Earlier FESCO has repeatedly participated in government projects in Antarctica to supply research stations of the US, Australia, Great Britain, Chile and Argentina.

FESCO Transport Group is one of the largest private transport and logistics companies in Russia with assets in the field of port, railway and integrated logistics business. The Group owns the Vladivostok Commercial Sea Port, the Transgarant and Dalreftrans railway operators, and Russkaya Troika, the fitting platform operator. The Group operates dry terminal complexes in Novosibirsk, Khabarovsk and Tomsk, manages over 130,000 TEU, and has more than 10,000 fitting platforms. The fleet includes 23 transport vessels, which mainly carry out transportation on their own sea lines.

Source: https://portnews.ru/news/341942/

A consortium led by India’s Adani Group completes the purchase of the port of Haifa in northern Israel

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January 11 2023

A consortium led by India’s Adani Group has completed the purchase of the port of Haifa in northern Israel for 4 billion shekels ($1.15 billion), Reuters reported with reference to Israel’s Finance Ministry.

The sale of one of Israel’s main seaports took five years. The Israeli government has said it is selling its state-owned ports and building new private docks to lower costs and reduce waiting times for ships to unload.

About 99% of all goods enter and leave Israel by sea, and the modernization of ports is necessary to maintain economic growth, the authorities said. Israel announced in July that it would sell the port of Haifa, a major trading hub on the Mediterranean Sea, to winning bidders Adani Ports and local chemical and logistics group Gadot. China’s Shanghai International Ports Group (SIPG) opened a new port across the bay in Haifa last year. The presence of SIPG and Adani will boost Israel’s status as a regional trading hub, the agency said.

The largest multi-profile Indian port operator Adani Ports & Special Economic Zone Ltd (APSE.NS) is part of the Adani Group. The Adani Group owns and manages terminals in the ports of Mundra and Dahej (India) and Abbot Point (Australia), terminals are also being built in Hazira, Mormugao, Visakhapatnam and Kandla (India) and Dudgeon Point (Australia). Adani Group operates in the areas of mining and sales of coal and gas, logistics and energy.

Source: https://portnews.ru/news/341229/

The South Korean government will speed up the issuance of visas to attract shipbuilders

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January 9, 2023

The shortage of specialists in the industry is estimated at 14 thousand people

The government plans to shorten visa administration procedures for foreign workers employed by South Korean shipbuilders from the current four months to one month as the shipbuilding industry faces a labor shortage, The Korea Times reported, citing a government statement. According to the estimates of the relevant organization, the labor shortage will reach 14 thousand people by the end of 2023.

According to the report, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy have unveiled a plan to eliminate barriers in attracting foreign workers to the shipbuilding industry. Under this plan, shipbuilders and subcontractors can employ up to 30% of foreign nationals of the total domestic workforce. The current limit is 20%.

The government is also planning to increase the administrative staff of visa specialists, which will allow issuing documents within 10 days. Currently it takes about five weeks for a visa to be issued after a preliminary check.

South Korea, along with China and Japan, currently have the largest portfolios of orders for ships.

Source: https://portnews.ru/news/341089/

Investments in new container terminals in Primorye will amount to more than 170 billion rubles

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December 16 2022

Primorsky region experienced a full-scale “turn to the East” in 2022

Governor of Primorsky region Oleg Kozhemyako announced the priorities of the investment policy of the region for 2023. In his investment message, delivered on December 16, 2022, the governor stressed that the region experienced a full-scale “pivot to the East” in 2022 and the seaports became a point of attraction for cargo from the Asia-Pacific countries. Investments in the creation of new container terminals will amount to more than 170 billion rubles, according to the press service of the government of Primorsky region.

“Investors are developing projects for new container terminals in Vladivostok, Bolshoy Kamen, Posyet, Slavyanka with an investment of over 170 billion rubles. In addition, agreements were signed on the creation of six transport and logistics centers by 2028, which operate in a single technological process with seaports, with a total capacity of up to 6 million containers per year,” the governor said.

The Vladivostok Commercial Sea Port is creating the Eastern transport and logistics hub, which provides for the construction of two deep-water berths with depths of up to 17 meters and a container terminal for up to 1.2 million containers.

The head of the region began his investment message by summing up the economic results of the region for 2022. The Governor noted that the region remains resilient and continues to develop in the face of sanctions, adapting to changing circumstances. Gross regional product this year will be about 1.5 trillion rubles.

At the end of 2022, the economy of Primorye showed significant growth: turnover in the transport industry increased by 36%, the volume of housing commissioned increased by 24%, investments increased by 67%, and foreign trade turnover showed an increase of 18%.

Next year Primorye plans to continue working within the framework of the approved export strategy and expand the geography of deliveries, increase the number of exporting enterprises and create representative offices of the region in the strategic markets of China and Vietnam.

Container traffic in the ports of the Far East intensified after the departure of international shipping operators from the ports of the Russian Baltic after February 2022. According to Infranews, the container throughput of the ports of the Far Eastern Basin in November 2022 increased by 5.7% compared to the same period last year to 199.85 thousand TEU. Growth in container handling has been noted for the past four months, analysts emphasize. Growth rates in November somewhat slowed down compared to the record high (since March this year) in October (+22.5%). There is a wavy trend in turnover: further acceleration of growth rates is possible in December.

The port of Vladivostok handled 122.38 thousand TEU over the month, which is 7% more than last year. Port Vostochny increased its transshipment by 7%, up to 49.77 thousand TEU, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky – by 13%.

Source: https://portnews.ru/news/340269/

Crab industry redirected exports to Asian markets

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December 15 2022

China, South Korea and Japan increased crab imports from Russia by 28% to 7.6 thousand tons

A significant part of Russian crab exports has been redistributed to Asian markets after the US market closed, an analysis of the Association of Fishing Fleet Owners (AFFO) showed. According to national government statistics, over the three quarters of 2022, China, South Korea and Japan increased crab imports from Russia by 7.6 thousand tons (+28%), which compensated for the drop in volumes by 2/3.

In addition to the traditional export destinations, other promising directions are developing – to the countries of Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore) and the Middle East. According to the Federal Agency for Fishery, the volume of crab production has been maintained at the level of 2021, which indicates the stability of the fishery even under the export restrictions.

“The prompt response of key market participants made it possible to maintain the stability of the crab industry. Stable sales of Russian crab products are ensured by steady demand, as well as world reserves of the resource limited by natural factors,” commented Alexei Osintsev, President of the AFFO.

The Association of Fishing Fleet Owners was established in 2016.

The key tasks of the Association are to promote the creation of stable conditions for the implementation of sectoral investment projects, to reduce the impact of administrative barriers on the marine industrial and coastal fishing and fish processing, and to create conditions for the training of crew for the new fishing fleet.

Source: https://portnews.ru/news/340209/

Center for Maritime Transport and Spatial Logistics will convene an international conference

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Center for Maritime Transport and Spatial Logistics will convene an international conference “Outcomes of 2022. The influence of non-economic factors on the implementation of transport and logistics projects in NEA / APR” on December 14, 2022. The participants will discuss the impact of such factors as the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic, the rivalry between the United States and China, the confrontation between Russia and the collective West on regional economic cooperation and the implementation of bilateral and multilateral projects in the field of transport, logistics, energy, education and humanitarian cooperation.

Global Ports expects the complete elimination of the queue of ships to the terminal in the Far East by the end of 2022

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December 8 2022

The practice of supplying an increased number of container trains can be extended to the beginning of 2023

The increased flow of platforms to the terminal of the Eastern Stevedoring Company (VSC, part of Global Ports) has allowed a significant increase in the export of imported containers. The average daily loading of platforms at VSK was 273 platforms in September. From December 1 to December 7 it reached 328 platforms. As a result, the waiting time for ships to moor has been significantly reduced. If the pace of the the platforms is maintained, the complete “liquidation of the raid” is expected at the end of December, Global Ports told PortNews.

At the same time, the launch of additional trains did not solve the problem of high warehouse occupancy, which is typical for all major container terminals in the Far East. Due to the increased entry of platforms, the volume of exports increased, and imports in the warehouse were replaced by export cargoes, the company explained. According to Global Ports calculations, if the pace of delivery of platforms, including empty ones, is maintained, and export by road is increased, a gradual decrease in the level of warehouse occupancy will begin in the end of December.

The company believes that the extension of the practice with an increased number of container trains to the Far East to the beginning of 2023 will additionally help the terminals of the Far East in the short term to balance cargo flows and ensure a return to a comfortable waiting time for containers to be sent by rail at a level of up to 2-3 days.

To improve the efficiency of cargo handling and increase capacity, VSK Global Ports implements short-term and long-term projects: it purchases additional equipment, redirects equipment from the North-West terminals. In addition, a long-term expansion project for the VSK has been launched.

As previously reported, due to the reorientation of cargo flows in 2022, Russian ports in the Far East faced an overload of their capacities. In particular, according to the head of the Far Eastern Customs Administration (DVTU) Yuri Ladygin, overloading the capacities of the Far Eastern ports, primarily Vladivostok and Vostochny, led to queues of up to 10 ships, waiting for unloading from 2 to 10 days and dispatch from the port – up to 10-13 days.

To resolve the problem, the Ministry of Transport of Russia, together with Russian Railways, set up a headquarters in September to organize the export of containers from the port terminals of the Far East. Minister of Transport Vitaly Savelyev in order to stabilize the situation with the overloading of the capacities of the ports of the Far East proposed measures such as increasing the tariffs for container transportation in the east direction in 2023 with a simultaneous decrease in tariffs in the ports of the North-West; increasing the number of container trains from the terminals of the ports of the Far Eastern Federal District to 5 units per day; extending until the end of 2023 a discount on the railway tariff for the transportation of containers in open wagons; increasing the number of container trains in the east direction by 3 pairs per day until the end of 2022.

On December 7, RZD reported that the problem had been solved.

Source: https://portnews.ru/news/339844/

A new residential town for shipbuilders will appear in Primorye

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November 25 2022

The Primorsky Territorial Directorate of the Federal Agency for Fishery has agreed on a project for the construction of a new residential town for shipbuilders in the city of Bolshoy Kamen, Primorsky Region. This was reported to the Maritime News of Russia portal by the press service of the Directorate.

Thus, the Zvezda shipbuilding complex has developed design documentation for the construction of a residential town for several thousand engineering and technical workers and management personnel employed in the construction of sea vessels. It is planned that representatives of partners and contractors of the Far Eastern shipbuilding giant will also be able to stay in the residential town.

The town will be located within the water protection zone of the Ussuri Bay of the Sea of Japan. The experts of the Department for Coordination of Economic Activities and Preventive Supervision of the Primorsky Territorial Administration of the Federal Agency for Fishery conducted an analysis of the developed project documentation.

According to the conclusion, the project does not provide for work in the water area, water intake and wastewater discharge. The implementation of design solutions will not have a direct negative impact on the existing ecological system of the water body.

Source: http://morvesti.ru/news/1679/99464/

FESCO investment program for 2023: development of the port, terminals and the acquisition of new vessels

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November 22 2022

The Group plans to purchase vessels with a capacity of 6-7 thousand TEU

The main objective of the FESCO investment program for 2023 is the purchase of new vessels, as well as the modernization of port facilities and the development of the terminal network. Investments will be made from net income, Andrey Severilov, Chairman of the Board of Directors of FESCO, said at a meeting with journalists during the “Transport Week” in Moscow.

In connection with the opening this year of a new route from the ports of China to Novorossiysk and with a plan to create a similar route to the ports of the North-West of Russia, the company is considering the possibility of acquiring large-capacity vessels.

“We plan to purchase vessels with a capacity of approximately 6-7 thousand TEU, which is approximately twice as much as the capacity of the vessels we have. The project will pay off even if, as we expect, freight rates will drop in 2023 on routes from China to Europe and from China to the USA. Freight rates on routes from China to Russian ports will remain at the same level. This is due to the fact that our market is now somewhat isolated from the world market, and after the departure of the majors, Russian shipping companies must buy new ships. However, the other side of the coin is that the reduction of rates on routes from China to Europe and from China to the USA leads, in fact, to a cooling of the global market and the emergence of additional opportunities for us. We see that, finally, there are offers on the market for the purchase of ships that we need,” Andrey Severilov explains.

In November, the transport group introduced the FESCO Black Sea Service on the route Novorossiysk – Istanbul – Shekou – Ningbo – Shanghai – Qingdao and in the opposite direction. Transit time on the way from the ports of China to Istanbul, where transshipment is carried out, is 30-35 days, to Novorossiysk – 40-45 days.

FESCO Transport Group is one of the largest private transport and logistics companies in Russia with assets in the field of port, rail and integrated logistics business. The Group owns the Vladivostok Commercial Sea Port, the railway operators Transgarant, Dalreftrans, and the fitting platform operator Russkaya Troika. FESCO operates dry terminals in Novosibirsk, Khabarovsk and Tomsk. The group manages more than 100 thousand TEU, the fleet of fitting platforms exceeds 10 thousand units. The fleet includes 22 transport vessels, which mainly carry out transportation on their own sea lines.

Source: https://portnews.ru/news/338970/

Severstal started supplying bimetallic sheets for the construction of the Rossiya icebreaker

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November 17 2022

The Severstal company has started shipping the first bimetallic sheets for the Zvezda shipbuilding complex. A batch of 100 sheets is intended for the construction of the bow of the hull of the nuclear icebreaker Rossiya.

The bimetal will be used for the ice protection of the atomic icebreaker, the so-called ice belt of the ship. This is a reinforced lower part of the hull that directly resists ice.

The bimetal is produced at mill 5000 of the sheet-rolling shop at the production site in Kolpino, using a new batch rolling method.

“Specifically for this project, in less than six months, a new site for assembling bimetallic packages was organized at the Severstal production site in Kolpino. And in October, the new site completed the modernization of equipment to accelerate the stripping of the main layer of bimetallic sheets in the range of thicknesses from 10 to 250 mm, which will increase production by 900 tons per year. The processing time for one sheet has been reduced from 56 to 8.5 hours,” said Dmitry Vanev, General Director of the Izhora Pipe Plant.

Also, the production of rolled metal for the first vessel of the Leader project is provided by mills 2000 and 2800 of the Cherepovets Metallurgical Plant.

“Severstal” is the main supplier of rolled metal for the construction of the icebreaker, the company fully met the need for ship steel for the construction of embedded sections.

Source: https://www.korabel.ru/news/comments/severstal_pristupila_k_postavke_bimetallicheskih_listov_dlya_stroitelstva_nosovoy_chasti_ledokola_rossiya.html