Franco-German defense concern KNDS has opened a subsidiary in Kiev, which under the name KNDS Ukraine LLC will support cooperation between Ukrainian government agencies, the Ukrainian defense industry and KNDS, the concern’s press service reports.
“The purpose of opening KNDS Ukraine LLC is, among other things, to consolidate the Ukrainian land industry and enable it to more effectively carry out maintenance, repair and overhaul of KNDS systems – including Leopard 1 and 2 tanks, CAESAR and AMX 10RC artillery systems and PzH 2000 self-propelled howitzers – which significantly increases their combat readiness. KNDS and Ukrainian industry also intend to jointly produce in Ukraine 155-mm artillery ammunition and spare parts using advanced technologies,” the report says.
It is noted that the creation of KNDS Ukraine LLC is the result of a joint French-German government initiative, the framework of which was presented on March 22, 2024 by French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu and the head of the German Defense Ministry Boris Pistorius in Berlin.
Natural gas supplies from Azerbaijan to Italy via the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP) in January-July 2024 amounted to 6.075 billion cubic meters, which is 6.4% more than in the same period last year, the Italian Ministry of Environment and Energy Security reported.
The country imported a total of 35.273 billion cubic meters of natural gas in the first seven months of this year – 4.3% less than a year earlier. At the same time, the share of Azerbaijani gas accounted for 17.2%.
According to the agency, in July, Azerbaijani gas supplies to Italy amounted to 905 million cubic meters (an increase of 12.2% compared to July last year), or 21.5% of the total imports of natural gas, which is estimated at 4.201 billion cubic meters (a decrease of 1.8%).
In 2023, Italy received 9.988 billion cubic meters of gas from Azerbaijan via TAP (down 3.2% on the 2022 level). Azerbaijan plans to supply 9.6 billion cubic meters of gas to Italy in 2024. Azerbaijan started exporting gas to Europe on December 31, 2022.
European paint manufacturers are pushing for a review of the European Union’s anti-dumping measures against Chinese exports of titanium dioxide, a key raw material for the industry, saying that they will lead to the closure of plants and further destruction of the region’s industrial base, the Financial Times reports.
Following an anti-dumping investigation launched last year, the European Union imposed temporary duties that could be adjusted or confirmed in January 2025. Paint companies fear that duties of up to 39.7% on titanium dioxide from China will bankrupt small producers and force large ones to move plants outside the EU.
“It’s a question of the survival of the industry,” believes Nicolas Dujardin, chief operating officer of family-owned French paint manufacturer Oceinde. – “If all these anti-dumping investigations lead to such high taxes in Europe, there will be a number of bankruptcies.
The paint and coatings sector will face a prolonged downturn if consumers are hit by higher prices, says Paula Salastie, owner of Finnish company Teknos. If Chinese supplies are diverted elsewhere, a shortage of raw materials will lead to disruptions in production, she says.
“If we can’t sell as much as we planned, we will need to cut jobs,” she said, adding that if duties are imposed, the company will probably look at options for investments outside the EU.
Paint makers believe the duties would be acceptable if introduced gradually along with increased subsidies for local titanium dioxide production.
China’s titanium dioxide capacity has grown from 1.4 million tons in 2008 to a projected 6.1 million tons this year. As a result, China’s share of the global market has risen to 83% from 29%, according to industry information provider TZMI.
Meanwhile, outside China, about 1.1 million tons of capacity was closed during the period, including five plants in the EU, according to estimates by the European TiO2 Coalition, which filed a complaint that led to the launch of an anti-dumping investigation. Paint producers expect the duties imposed in the EU to benefit the UK and also strengthen Turkish competitors, as both countries will still be able to access cheap Chinese raw materials.
2022-2024 goods trade balance forecast (USD billion)
Open4Business.com.ua
In Nikolaev region is planned to build a river grain terminal with a transshipment capacity of 10 thousand tons of grain per day, according to the website Dream.Projects of the Ministry of Development of Communities and Territories (Ministries of Communities and Territories).
“The terminal will provide grain reception by both road and rail transport with subsequent shipment to barges of the “River-More” class and bulk carriers of the Panamax class,” reads the description of the project submitted by the Voznesenska territorial community.
The terminal will have two lines for receiving grain from cars equipped with automatic unloaders, as well as a line for receiving grain from railroad cars. The facility will be equipped with two grain cleaning machines and two continuous shaft-type grain dryers for processing raw materials. Metal silos, with which the terminal will be equipped, will allow simultaneous storage of up to 40 thousand tons of grain, which will allow efficient formation of shipment batches.
It is planned to install transport systems with the capacity of 300-500 tons per hour at the terminal, which will ensure uninterrupted and timely shipment of grain to ships.
The approximate duration of construction of the facility is 24 months.
