The World Bank has approved a new $90 million project to scale-up Ukraine’s health sector response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The project, Ukraine Emergency COVID-19 Response and Vaccination, will provide reimbursement of expenditures to the National Health Service of Ukraine (NHSU) for vaccination of about 10 million people.
“The World Bank has approved a new $90 million project to scale-up Ukraine’s health sector response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The project, Ukraine Emergency COVID-19 Response and Vaccination, will support the rollout of COVID-19 vaccination to priority groups among the population and strengthen the capacity of Ukraine’s health care sector to prevent, detect, and respond to the impacts of the pandemic,” the World Bank said on Tuesday.
“The project aims to help the country not only procure COVID-19 vaccines, but also improve the infrastructure for vaccine storage and logistics: this includes organizing service delivery, cost reimbursement for vaccine providers, expanding testing capacity, strengthening the IT system, and carrying out a vaccination public awareness campaign,” the World Bank said.
World Bank Regional Country Director for Eastern Europe Arup Banerji said that the project is to accelerate the pace of vaccination, while keeping a focus on people with a high risk of getting infected and those most likely to develop COVID-related complications.
Insurance companies that are members of the Motor (Transport) Insurance Bureau of Ukraine (MTIBU) in January-March 2021 increased the collection of insurance payments under the policies of compulsory insurance of land vehicle owners’ civil liability (OSAGO) by 13% compared to the same period in 2020, to UAH 1.670 billion, including under electronic contracts in the amount of UAH 744.4 million, which is 65.2% more than in 2020.
During this period, the companies entered into 1.913 million OSAGO agreements, which is 7.7% more than in the same period in 2020. Out of the total volume of agreements, some 877,743 were concluded in electronic format, which is 62.6% more than in the three months of 2020.
According to the data published on the MTIBU website, the total amount of accrued insurance claims under internal insurance agreements in January-March 2021 increased by 26%, to UAH 862 million. In particular, UAH 162.3 million was paid using the European road accident record forms, which is 32% more than in 2020.
The bureau also recorded an increase in the number of settled claims for insurance compensation by 14%, to 42,763, including with the use of European road accident record forms 15,450 (more by 18%).
The MTIBU is the only association of insurers that provides compulsory insurance of land vehicle owners’ civil liability for damage caused to third parties. The bureau members are 48 insurance companies.
Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) in June 2021 will launch flights to Ras al-Khaimah (United Arab Emirates).
An airline’s representative told Interfax-Ukraine on Tuesday that the flights will be operated twice a week – on Mondays and Thursdays – by Boeing 737-800 (NG). The aircraft is designed for 186 seats.
The company plans to fly to Ras al-Khaimah until the start of the winter season.
Tickets will be sold both through tour operators (TUI, ALF, Kompas, TPG) and through the UIA website.
Currently, Ukrainian airlines do not fly to Ras al-Khaimah.
The international airport in Ras al-Khaimah is located forty minutes from Dubai and three hours from Abu Dhabi.
Ukraine has signed contracts for the supply of 42 million doses of coronavirus vaccines by the end of this year, about 5 million more doses are needed, Health Minister Maksym Stepanov said.
“If you look at the number of doses that we have contracted, I emphasize, it was the contracted amount for which we paid the funds, together with COVAX, then we now have 42 million doses of vaccines for which we have already signed [contracts], these are all supplies for this year,” the minister said during the Segodnya Vecherom (Tonight) program on the Ukraine 24 television on Friday evening.
“About 5 million more doses are needed,” Stepanov noted.
“We have relevant proposals, in particular from the Serum Institute, to increase the amount of doses of the Novavax vaccine, and we also have a proposal regarding Sinovac. Now we are deciding on the timeframe of delivery,” he added.
Average retail prices for petrol in Ukraine in the period from April 30 to May 11 grew by UAH 0.3-0.5 per liter, according to the data of the A-95 consulting group (Kyiv).
So, the average retail prices for petrol grade A-92 during the May holidays increased by UAH 0.31 per liter, to UAH 28.09 per liter, A-95 – by UAH 0.45 per liter, to UAH 29.10 per liter, premium A-95 – by UAH 0.47 per liter, to UAH 30.67 per liter.
In addition, retail prices for diesel fuel from April 30 to May 11 grew by UAH 0.07, to UAH 28.29 per liter, while prices for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) fell by UAH 0.03 per liter, to UAH 15.77 per liter.
As reported, on April 2, the Cabinet of Ministers and most of the country’s large filling station networks signed a memorandum on the creation of fair competition in the petroleum product market, as well as on meeting the needs of consumers during the period of quarantine restrictions.
According to Interfax-Ukraine, before the signing of the document, representatives of the authorities were actively negotiating with large networks of filling stations, persistently offering them to lower the prices for petroleum products that have increased in recent months. In particular, they were advised to set a price of up to UAH 30 per liter for A-95 petrol. As a result, after the signing of the document, the chains dropped the price of petrol by UAH 0.2-1 per liter.
At the same time, during the May holidays, retail petrol prices have already won back this decline. On May 11, the Cabinet of Ministers, by resolution No. 450 dated March 29, 2021, introduced a declaration of an increase in retail prices for petrol and diesel fuel in excess of 1%. According to the document, petrol grades A-92 and A-95, as well as diesel fuel, are included in the list of socially important goods.
The Black Iron Canadian mining company, which is implementing a project to create a new iron ore plant in Kryvy Rih (Dnipropetrovsk region), has chosen Cargill (the United States) with the right to purchase the first 4 million tonnes of production per year, which will provide financing for the project in the amount of $75 million.
According to the company’s press release on Monday, May 10, the agreement will be concluded subject to the completion of the due diligence of the project and the successful completion of negotiations.
“Cargill will offtake the production and extend financing of $75 million for the construction of the Project through a finance facility. Drawdown on this funding will be subject to certain conditions being met, as is customary for this type of transaction, mainly related to the Project being fully permitted and financed for construction. Black Iron and Cargill will now start work on definitive binding offtake and financing agreements which reflect the Proposal,” the company said in the press release.
It also clarifies that based on the proposal agreed between Black Iron and Cargill, the offtake agreement will be for an initial term of ten years and will include a profit-sharing component which will align the interests of both parties and thereby generate a strong interdependent relationship of benefit to both parties. On the profit share, Black Iron will receive 100% of the 65% iron content fines benchmark price, currently $230 per tonne, and share with Cargill a portion of the incremental sale price of its 3% higher (68%) iron content and low impurity magnetite product.
“Black Iron and Cargill Metals agree that, as the world is becoming more environmentally conscious it will naturally turn to ores with a higher iron content and in forms such as pellets/pellet feed that reduce emissions in the production of steel,” the company said in the press release.
At the same time, it is noted that the Black Iron’s planned 68% iron content magnetite pellet feed is in the top 4% of global production by iron content and is anticipated to reduce emissions generated in the production of steel by an estimated 30% as compared to the more commonly consumed 62% iron content hematite fines. It is envisaged that the high-quality product from the Shymanivske iron ore project will attract a premium price in a variety of markets.
Black Iron’s CEO Matt Simpson said: “Black Iron received several offtake and investment proposals and chose Cargill based on its proposal striking the optimal balance of investment quantum, structure and shared vision on the increasing demand for high-grade ore as the global ferrous industry is shifting to become greener.”
“Cargill brings tremendous value not only in strengthening the project funding with a $75 million financing facility but, more importantly, its global network and local footprints, unique industry insight and successful experience in the technical marketing of high-grade ore to customers around the world,” the company’s CEO said.
In turn, in the press release, the company quotes the words of Lee Kirk, Managing Director of Cargill Metals, who announced his readiness to help finance the Black Iron’s Shymanivske Project.
“A relationship with Black Iron would be an excellent fit with Cargill Metals’ growth strategy to develop a high-grade and CO2 reducing iron ore portfolio, to help customers navigate the environmental and carbon challenges and opportunities ahead, and to support the sustainability efforts and low carbon ambitions of the ferrous industry,” the top manager said.
According to the attached certificate, Cargill has operated in Ukraine since 1991 with offices in several cities to support its more than 500 in-country employees. Cargill’s main Ukraine businesses are in the agricultural sector and include a deep-sea vessel terminal at Port Yuzhny close to the terminal Black Iron plans to use to ship its iron ore.
The selection of Cargill as Black Iron’s preferred offtake purchaser has triggered the following activities to bring the Project to a fully financed state for construction: update of the Project’s feasibility study will commence upon receipt and review of proposals already requested; selection and negotiation of binding terms with the preferred engineering, procurement and construction contractor who proposes to invest $65 million in the Project; commencement of third-party due diligence with a consortium of major international financial institutions on binding agreements for senior debt, $100 million royalty investment and political risk insurance.
The above activities will be supported by the outputs from the environmental impact assessment and Ukraine land transfer work currently ongoing which were previously announced.
