Logistics Company Marken (the United States) has opened a pharmaceutical depot in Kyiv, according to a company’s press release published by PRNewswire.
“Ukraine continues to be important in Eastern Europe’s clinical trial market and our Kyiv depot will strengthen our position in the region,” Marken President Ariette van Strien said.
Marken’s depots include space for pallet storage and a full range of temperature-controlled storage options including refrigerators and freezers, the press release said.
Marken is a wholly owned subsidiary of the UPS Healthcare division. The company has a network of 56 depots for pharmaceutical products and biological samples around the world.
Smart Maritime Group (SMG) of Smart-Holding, combining Kherson and Mykolaiv shipyards, will modernize six coastal vessels of the Koster class (a vessel with a limited navigation area from the coast) by order of the Dutch company Handelskade Shipsales B.V.
According to a SMG’s press release on Wednesday, under the terms of the contract, each vessel’s length will be increased by 12 meters during the modernization by installing an insert and a partition. The shipyard specialists will also paint ballast tanks, outer hull and cargo holds, lay new piping systems and install new hatch covers.
In addition, a self-ejecting boat will be installed in the stern of the vessel. About 190 tonnes of metal will be used to modernize each vessel.
At the same time, it is noted that the modernization will significantly improve the technical and economic characteristics of the ships, they will become two-hold (now one), the deadweight will increase, on average, by 20%.
The first two vessels are expected to be delivered to SMG for repairs in the second decade of January. It is planned to complete the modernization of all vessels by July 2021.
The total cost of the contract will be about UAH 100 million.
“The company has already started cutting and processing high-quality metal purchased for this order at the enterprises of the Metinvest holding,” the press release said.
Dynamics of changes in population of ukraine from 1991-2020.

The Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine expects that in 2021 the volume of transit of goods through the territory of Ukraine will recover to the level of 2019.
“We are waiting for the resumption, growth of transit. We would definitely recover to the level of 2019. But in order for it to grow, we need the economies of countries that send goods to each other develop,” Infrastructure Minister of Ukraine Vladyslav Krykliy said in an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine.
The minister also said that the pandemic has fundamentally changed communications between countries.
“Probably, the greatest positive thing from the coronavirus, so to speak, is that we switched to more dynamic communications, including on the creation of digital transport corridors. If a year ago the issue of digital corridors, uniform transport rules and a single document was considered a prospect, which we must strive for, now digitalization is a necessity,” he said.
According to Krykliy, this is the only way the countries participating in the East-Europe transit traffic will be able to build alternative transport corridors that will develop through a digital tool, information exchange and through the interaction of all operators participating in these intermodal transportation, in order to eventually become competitive with Russia.
National bank of Ukraine’s official rates as of 23/12/20

Source: National Bank of Ukraine