Business news from Ukraine

KHERSON SHIPYARD FINISHES BUILDING FIRST TUG FOR PANAMA’S KIRGAN HOLDING

KYIV. Sept 2 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Public joint-stock company Kherson Shipyard, part of Smart Maritime Group (SMG), has finished building a ALTAIR tug of the Т2440 Project under the order of Кirgan Holding S.A. (Panama).

The press service of SMG reported that the new vessel was launched at the enterprise.

The tug was built under a contract to build two Т2440 Project tugs which was signed in November 2014 between SMG and Kirgan Holding S.A.

“At present, the second ANTARES tug is being built,” the company said.

Kherson Shipyard and Chornomorsky Shipbuilding Yard (Mykolaiv) are part of SMG, the shipbuilding holding founded in 2009 to manage the maritime assets of Smart-holding.

CANADA WILL GRANT EUR200,000 TO UKRAINE TO SUPPORT NATIONAL REFORMS COUNCIL

KYIV. Sept 2 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Canada will provide Ukraine with a grant of EUR200,000 to support the National Reforms Council, Senior Communications Adviser at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Anton Usov wrote on his Facebook page.

“The funds are provided by the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development (DFATD). They will help financially support highly qualified Ukrainian professionals who work in the government, as well as to attract new staff,” he wrote.

According to Usov, the agreement on providing the grant was signed by Ambassador of Canada to Ukraine Roman Waschuk, Vice President of Agriteam Canada Consulting Ltd. Gayle Turner, and EBRD Director in Ukraine Sevki Acuner.

BORYSPIL TO DO ITS BEST TO FINISH CONSTRUCTION OF PARKING ZONE IN 2016 – AIRPORT HEAD

KYIV. Sept 2 (Interfax-Ukraine) – A court ruling on revoking the agreement between Boryspil International Airport and a contractor – public joint-stock company Construction Department 813 (both based in Kyiv) – to build a parking zone at the airport, would allow the airport to finish building the important infrastructure facility and open it, the acting director general of the airport, Yevhen Dykhne, has told Interfax-Ukraine.

He said that the airport plans to return advance payments of over UAH 93 million. The decision would ensure that relations with the unfair contractor would be officially terminated and a new contractor could be selected.

“Under the order of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine potential investors to complete the parking zone are being searched for. The information is posted on the airport’s website. Understanding the importance of launching the facilities, the airport foresees the possibility of finishing construction using its own funds as a fallback, and investment in the draft financial plan of the company for 2016 is foreseen. The project would be soon revised with the purpose of the gradual launch of the facility,” Dykhne said.

He said that under the project approved in 2012, additional financing of the project by around UAH 180 million would be required.

He said that the launch of the parking zone depends on the path that would be chosen to settle the problem.

“Anyway, the airport would do its best to finish the works in 2016,” he said.

UKRAINE BECOMES MEMBER OF BELARUS, IRAN, SERBIA’S WORKING GROUPS TO JOIN WTO

KYIV. Sept 2 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukraine has become a member of working groups of Belarus, Iran and Serbia for their joining to the World Trade Organization (WTO).

“If we do not take into account the hard-core developing countries, Belarus, Iran and Serbia are the most important countries for us. We entered working groups of these countries for their joining WTO,” Deputy Economic Development and Trade Minister and Trade Representative of Ukraine Natalia Mykolska said in an interview with TOP-100.

She said that Belarus has some trade restrictions for Ukrainian goods, in particular, ecological tax on cars, and now and then sanitary measures against Ukrainian goods are introduced. Mykolska said that there are some problematic issues for Ukraine with the Eurasian Economic Union, and they could be settled at the level of liabilities on Belarus’ joining WTO.

EU BACKS FREE TRADE AGREEMENT WITH UKRAINE’S ENTRY INTO EFFECT ON JAN 1, 2016 – FOREIGN MINISTER

KYIV. Sept 2 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The European Union supports the entry into effect of the economic section of the Ukrainian-EU Association Agreement on January 1, 2016, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin said.

“Good talk with @MalmstromEU [EU Commissioner for Trade Cecilia Malmstrom] Pleased that we are on the same page: Ukraine-EU Association Agreement will be fully applicable as of 01.01.2016,” Klimkin said via Twitter.

It was reported earlier that Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseniuk had anticipated that Russia would impose an absolute embargo on Ukrainian agricultural exports starting in 2016, as the Ukrainian-EU free trade agreement takes effect.

PLANNED NET PROFIT OF ILLICHIVSK PORT IN 2015 WILL AMOUNT TO NEARLY UAH 500 MLN

KYIV. Sept 1 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The financial plan of Illichivsk maritime merchant port (Odesa region) in 2015 predicts a net profit of UAH 487.705 million.

According to the plan, which has been posted on the website of the Infrastructure Ministry, the forward-looking indicators foresee a net profit of the company in 2016 in the amount of UAH 478 million, UAH 374.8 million in 2017, UAH 346.9 million in 2018, and UAH 366 million in 2019.

The port’s net income in 2015, according to the plan, will stand at UAH 1.631 billion, UAH 1.599 billion in 2016, UAH 1.199 billion in 2017, UAH 1.079 billion in 2018, and UAH 1.025 billion in 2019.

The EBITDA in 2015 will amount to UAH 679.8 million, UAH 695.3 million in 2016, UAH 546.5 million in 2017, UAH 499.2 million in 2018, and UAH 504.8 million in 2019.

The EBITDA margin will come to 42% in 2015, 43% in 2016, 46% in 2017-2018, and 49% in 2019.

In 2015, the port, according to the financial plan, will pay various fees and contributions to the state in the amount of UAH 783.6 million, UAH 597.7 million in 2016, UAH 529 million in 2017, UAH 481.9 million in 2018, and UAH 479.2 million in 2019.

Capital investment of the port in 2015 is assumed to total UAH 264.2 million, UAH 566 million in 2016, UAH 149 million in 2017, UAH 115 million in 2018, and UAH 115 million in 2019.