On the wave of state efforts to develop fishery and to stimulate shipbuilding, both industries are in active search for mutually acceptable compromises. Aleksandr Duplyakov, President of the Far East Crab Catchers Association, answers the questions of IAA PortNews.

The IMO Ballast Water Management Convention (BWMC 2004) will enter into force on 8 September 2017. Vladimir Shurpyak, Senior Principal Surveyor of the RS Machinery Department, tells IAA PortNews about its meaning for ship owners in actual practice.

Amid the environmental row related to coal transshipment via the Far Eastern ports of Russia and drafting of laws that offer a radical solution with a ban on open storage/transshipment of coal, Russian Railways has unintentionally “pointed” to a more workable solution associated with the capacity limitations.

The Port of Kerch which handles some 70% of all goods bound for Crimea embarks on RUB 1.2 bln reconstruction in 2017. That will let start handling containers, 110,000 TEUs per month. The port is set to become a gateway in the nearest 5–10 years and to service freight flows on the Caspian Sea – Volga-Don Canal and Kerch – Black Sea – Istanbul routes, etc.

The efforts on restoring military arts division at Admiral Makarov State University of Maritime and Inland Shipping undertaken by the interested parties for many years have finally worked out. Sergey Baryshnikov, Rector of the University, tells IAA PortNews about the plans and concerns of the University.

In the run up to launching Phase 3 of the dedicated coal terminal of Vostochny Port JSC, its environmental aspect was inspected by representatives of regional and federal media. When speking at the media conference, Anatoly Lazarev, Managing Director of Vostochny Port JSC, told about specific features of the terminal which has no rivals in the Far East of Russia and explained why the company had invested about RUB 1 bln over four years.

Fishing industry in Russia is undergoing reforms and modernization. Ilya Shestakov, head of Russian Federal Fisheries Agency (Rosrybolovstvo), Deputy Minister of Agriculture, tells IAA PortNews about fish exports from Russia.

Providing of investment quotas can trigger the programme on large scale construction of fishing ships at Russian shipyards. However, quality and time framework is essential for to ensure reasonable substitution of imports in the field of designing, construction and equipment of vessels.

RF Government has approved a programme for construction of ferries to be operated on Ust-Luga – Baltijsk line. However, it is also reasonable to launch a container line between Saint-Petersburg and the Kaliningrad Region to ensure proper links of the mainland Russia with the exclave.

Irina Olkhovskaya, First Deputy Director and Commercial Director of Port Management Company LLC, tells IAA PortNews about the situation in Russian and international coal market and covers the challenges of coal delivery to sea terminals.