Nibulon Joint Venture LLC proposes introducing a transitional mechanism for assigning and confirming the qualifications of river fleet specialists, which, according to its estimates, will make it possible to increase shipments through the Danube export corridor by 100,000 metric tons per month, the company’s press service reported, citing Logistics Director Serhiy Kalkutin.
“Nibulon” could deploy an additional 12 tugboats on the Danube, but this would require resolving the issue of retraining and processing the necessary paperwork for approximately 30 specialists. And we are not the only ones facing this limitation. “If a workable mechanism is created to attract qualified specialists on an industry-wide scale, the Danube corridor will be able to transport up to an additional 100,000 metric tons of cargo per month,” the press service quoted Kalkutin as saying.
He explained that shipowners have a technically ready fleet but are unable to fully staff their crews or put additional vessels into service due to a shortage of qualified crew members.
As noted in the statement, “Nibulon” proposes introducing a temporary transitional mechanism for certifying and confirming the qualifications of inland waterway fleet specialists and for them to obtain the necessary documents until the full transition to European regulations is complete. This, in particular, will allow specialists with the necessary training and experience to complete the paperwork required to work on the Danube more quickly.
Kalkutin emphasized that additional shipments via the Danube corridor will make it possible to support purchases from agricultural producers, ensure the inflow of foreign exchange earnings, and increase the resilience of Ukraine’s export system.
“Nibulon” proposed that the relevant government agencies, together with industry representatives, develop a transitional solution that would allow for the recruitment of the necessary number of qualified specialists to work on inland waterways while complying with requirements for professional competence and navigation safety.
As reported, according to the Ministry of Agrarian Policy, from August 1 to 18, Ukraine exported 900,000 metric tons of agricultural products, of which about 45% were exported via the Danube region.
