Coke and chemical plants of Ukraine in 2020 imported 9.67 million tonnes of raw coking coal and coking coal concentrate, which is 6.4% less than in 2019.
According to the report of the Ukrmetalurgprom association on Monday, the supply of Ukrainian coal last year amounted to 3.62 million tonnes, which is 3.5% more than in 2019.
In general, in 2020, Ukrainian coke and chemical plants received 13.29 million tonnes of coking coal, which is 3.9% less compared to 2019. At the same time, the share of imported coal in the total supply amounted to 72.8% versus 74.77% in 2019.
Some 8.18 million tonnes of coke (92.7% compared to 2019) were supplied to Ukrainian metallurgical enterprises, including 8.03 million tonnes of Ukrainian origin (95.2%), and some 150,000 tonnes of imported (38.6%). The share of imported coke in the total supply amounted to 1.83% versus 4.41% in 2019.
In addition, over the past year, 2.929 million tonnes of scrap metal were procured (96% compared to 2019), of which 2.893 million tonnes (96.1% compared to 2019) were supplied to Ukrainian consumers as imported. Exports of scrap metal amounted to 36,000 tonnes (85.1%).
It is noted that the provision of metallurgical enterprises with Ukrainian iron ore raw materials for the reporting period was carried out in accordance with the needs of metallurgical production. The iron ore was not imported. Iron ore exports amounted to 46.23 million tonnes in 2020 (some 116% compared to 2019).
According to the updated data of Ukrmetalurgprom, in 2020 enterprises produced 31.91 million tonnes of sinter (103.3% over the same period in 2019), some 9.67 million tonnes of gross coke (96.1%), some 20.423 million tonnes of cast iron (101.8%), some 20.616 million tonnes of steel (98.9%), some 18.427 million tonnes of rolled products (101.2%), and some 850,000 tonnes of pipe products (83, 8%).
As of January 15, 2021, of the main operating production facilities, 17 out of 21 blast furnaces, seven out of eight open-hearth furnaces, 12 out of 16 converters, four out of 15 electric furnaces and 16 out of 17 continuous casting machines are in operation.
SkyUp (Kyiv) in December 2020 transported 58,800 passengers, of which 48,200 used charter flights, and 10,600 used regular flights.
According to the company’s press service, in December, 390 flights were performed under the international destination schedule (292 charter flights and 98 regular ones).
The airline also said that last month it completed 71.3% of its flights with 100% punctuality.
In addition, in December SkyUp transported 23 tonnes of cargo by passenger flights and performed seven cargo flights, which transported another 128.9 tonnes of cargo.
SkyUp LLC was registered in Kyiv in June 2016. The founder is ACS-Ukraine LLC of Tetiana and Yuriy Alba, who also own the JoinUp! tour operator.
ERU Europe (the European subsidiary of Energy Resources of Ukraine Group, ERU) has received a license to supply and trade electricity in the Czech market.
“ERU Group is confidently expanding its presence in the European energy market,” the report on the group’s Facebook page says.
As reported, in September 2020, the group announced that ERU Europe had received a license to trade electricity on the Austrian market.
Energy Resources of Ukraine is a group of companies with foreign investments specializing in the implementation of projects in the Ukrainian energy sector. It is one of the largest private importers of natural gas and electricity to the country.
ERU Group belongs to Yaroslav Mudry and Dale Perry.
The Synevo laboratory, part of the Swedish holding Medicover, has launched PCR tests that detect British and South African coronavirus (COVID-19) strains, including their currently known mutations.
According to Synevo’s press release, new PCR tests are carried out on new generation equipment and reagents from the U.S. company Abbott.
Investments in equipment for testing (two analyzers) amounted to more than EUR 200,000.
The tests detect the virus at the earliest stages of the disease, when the virus cells are still very little in the body, while other test systems will still give false negative results, although the person is already sick.
According to Synevo Development Director Mykola Butenko, new PCR tests allow detecting British and South African COVID-19 strains with the same accuracy as the previous COVID-19 strains.
In addition, new PCR tests, in addition to detecting COVID-19, can determine the viral load of SARS-CoV-2 on the body and the likely stage of the disease.
“We have received official confirmation from the head office of Abbott in the United States that new PCR tests detect two new strains of coronavirus: British and South African. These results were obtained by Abbott in clinical trials, and the reagents have already received international FDA accreditation,” Butenko said in a press release.
Synevo said that Abbott’s PCR tests are one of the most reliable in the world, their sensitivity is only 100 copies per 1 ml of biomaterial, while the sensitivity of other PCR tests for COVID-19 available on the Ukrainian market, from 400 copies and higher. This sensitivity allows almost completely eliminate false negative results.
Synevo is Ukraine’s largest network of medical laboratories, a division of the Swedish medical holding Medicover. The Synevo network consists of more than 300 laboratory centers operating in more than 115 cities throughout Ukraine, as well as seven laboratories in which more than 1,500 types of tests are performed.
Nika-Tera Sea Terminal (Sea Specialized Port Nika-Tera, Mykolaiv), part of Dmytro Firtash’ Group DF, handled 409 vessels and 7.38 million tonnes of cargo in 2020, which is 15% lower than in 2019.
According to the company’s website, the main types of cargo handled in the port are grain, legumes and oilseeds, as well as their processed products.
In 2020, the port started handling oil products and resumed handling fertilizers.
“The coronavirus [COVID-19] pandemic and the drop in crop yields are the main reasons for the 14% decrease in cargo handling. In 2020, grain was the main type of cargo handled in the port. At the same time, the crisis helped us open a new ‘window of opportunity’: we are talking about the restoration of volumes of mineral cargo and bitumen handlings,” CEO of Nika-Tera Alim Agakishiev commented on the results of the past year.
The structure of the company’s cargo turnover in 2020 looked as follows: grain, legumes and oilseeds, as well as their processed products accounted for 75% (some 5.55 million tonnes) of handling; open storage bulk cargo for 18% (some 1.3 million tonnes); liquid cargo for 4% (some 323,000 tonnes) and mineral fertilizers for 3% (some 194,000 tonnes).
In 2020, the port handled 409 vessels (versus 410 in 2019), while increasing the number of processed bulk carriers of the Panamax type (with a tonnage of about 65,000 tonnes) by 44% from 16 to 23 units.
In total, 63,114 rail cars and 65,910 vehicles were handled in the port.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the port was able to ensure 100% retention of the company’s personnel and large-scale assistance to the city’s healthcare sector in the fight against COVID-19.
“We believe in a gradual recovery of the market, economy and, accordingly, the volume of cargo turnover in 2021. However, much will depend on weather conditions and the yield of key crops in this marketing year,” Agakishiev said.
Grape processing in Ukraine in 2020 decreased by 38.8% compared to 2019, to 75,980 tonnes, according to the State Statistics Service.
According to its data, of the total number of grapes processed into winemaking materials, the enterprises directly grew 27.4%, or 20,800 tonnes, and the rest of the raw materials were purchased from households.
In Odesa region in 2020, some 56,400 tonnes of grapes were processed and in Mykolaiv region 15,400 tonnes, which is less than in 2019 by 32.4% and 26.7% respectively.
The main varieties of processed grapes remain Cabernet Sauvignon with 13% (less by 23.5% compared to 2019), Muscat with 10.4% (less by 5.4%), Chardonnay with 9.9% (less by 33.6%) and Aligote with 9.5% (less by 48.7%).
The service said that the production of winemaking materials in 2020 decreased by 41.2% compared to 2019, to 5.68 million decaliters. At the same time, the production of table wine decreased by 42.5%, to 3.58 million decaliters, champagne and sparkling wines by 28.2%, to 1.36 million decaliters, and the production of cognac fell by about 90.5%, to 230,000 decaliters.
The decline in grape processing was reported to be mainly caused by adverse weather conditions. Grape growers in Odesa region complained about the dry winter and spring of 2020 with insufficient rainfall.
According to the State Customs Service, exports of Ukrainian wine and grape must in 2020 increased in quantity terms by 88.7%, to 16,620 tonnes, and in monetary terms by 9.6% to $13.08 million.
At the same time, the export volumes were significantly lower than imports, which last year increased by 15.6% in quantity terms, to 64,430 tonnes, and in monetary terms by 22.1%, to $179.23 million.
Exports of vermouth and other grape wine in 2020 amounted to 460 tonnes for $1.09 million (less by 23.7% and 34.8% respectively), while their imports to 3,790 tonnes for $8.09 million (an increase in quantity terms by 1.4% and a decrease in monetary terms by 12.6%).
