Smart Maritime Group (SMG) of Smart-Holding starts implementing a contract to build two chemical tanker hulls under an order of Dutch VEKA Shipbuilding WT B.V. The press service of SMG reported that the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the start of building the first hull for the Dutch customer was held at the Kherson Shipyard on Thursday. According to the contract signed in May, SMG will build hulls, install pipeline network, deck equipment and paint the tanker hulls. The cost of the contract is estimated at over UAH 145 million (some $5.6 million). It will take 11 months and a half to build one hull. The second tanker hull will be built at Mykolaiv Shipyard belonged to SMG.
“This is really an important event for Ukrainian shipbuilding, since it is the first foreign contract in the industry since 2013. We have made great efforts to convince the customer, to convince Ukrainian and European banks to finance this project. Today we have good prospects for work and the conclusion of new contracts,” the press service said, citing Director General of SMG Vasyl Fedin.
Tankers are designed for transportation of petroleum products and chemicals on the inland waterways of Europe. The vessel’s overall length is 110 m, width is 13.5 m, the height of the side is 6.59 m, the hull is 1200 tonnes, and the cargo capacity is 5,320 tonnes.
According to the press service, SMG and VEKA Group cooperate in the shipbuilding market for more than 10 years. During this period, SMG has built eight hulls for chemical tankers for VEKA. In total, 12 vessels of the same class were built for the Dutch market.
The deficit of Ukraine’s foreign trade with goods in January-April 2018 grew 1.5-fold year-over-year, reaching $1.423 billion ($968.6 million in January-April 2017), the State Statistics Service reported on Tuesday. In April, the deficit was $221.6 million, while in March – $460 million, in February – $457 million and in January – $284.1 million.
In January-April 2018, exports of goods grew by 12.8% year-over-year, to $15.457 billion, and imports – by 15.1%, to $16.88 billion.
In April 2018 compared with the previous month seasonally adjusted volumes of exports fell by 3.6% and imports – by 1%. The seasonally adjusted deficit of foreign trade in April 2018 was $577.7 million, in March it was $473.9 million, in February 2018 – $352.9 million and in January – $519.9 million.
As a result, the coefficient of coverage of imports by exports was 0.92 (in January-April 2017 some 0.93).
The service said foreign trade operations were conducted with partners from 210 countries.
The Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) on June 14 approved $250 million in political risk insurance for national joint-stock company Naftogaz Ukrainy covering its revolving gas purchase facility. OPIC said on its website that this will help Naftogaz build up gas reserves during the summer months to maintain a reliable supply and affordable prices. Earlier OPIC said that it is planned that the relevant loans, the total amount of which can reach $270 million, will be attracted by Naftogaz from Goldman Sachs International and other international financial institutions.
OPIC said the implementation of the project will allow Naftogaz to purchase gas in the amount of up to 4% of the annual consumption of Ukraine at an attractive price for its subsequent sale in the autumn-winter period.
Naftogaz Ukrainy unites the largest oil and gas producing enterprises of the country. The holding is a monopolist in transit and storage of natural gas in underground storage facilities, as well as oil transportation via pipelines throughout the country.
U.S. Trident Acquisitions Corp organized as special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) held an initial public offering (IPO) on the NASDAQ stock exchange and raised $201.25 million. According to a posting on the company’s website, a total of 20.125 million units were sold at $10 per unit. Each unit consists of one share of common stock and a warrant to purchase one share of common stock. Both units and its parts could be traded. U.S. Chardan Capital Markets organized the deal.
Trident Acquisitions Corp COO Oleksiy Tymofeyev (former head of Smart-holding) wrote on his Facebook page that over 400 international investment funds took part in the placement.
The IPO for SPAC units foresees the placement of the raised funds on the account of a special trust until the object of the deal is identified (merger, acquisition, share exchange, purchase of shares and other transactions). The issuer intends to invest the raised funds in acquisition of energy assets in Eastern Europe with focus on Ukraine. “I want to build a large vertically integrated Eastern European corporation in the sphere of minerals with the center in Ukraine,” ex-Russian Duma Deputy and Trident Acquisitions Corp Director Ilya Ponomarev said in an interview with the Ekonomichna Pravda publication. He also does not rule out the purchase of assets in Northern America.
At present, Trident Acquisitions Corp is studying the assets for deals. Later, the company with which Trident Acquisitions Corp will merge would be traded on NASDAQ.
According to the offering memorandum, Trident Acquisitions Corp was founded in March 2016. Initially U.S. VK Consulting, Inc., under control of Russian investment banker Vadim Komissarov, bought all shares in the company.
In April 2016, 35% of shares were bought by Ponomarev, 5.35% – Patimat Akhmedova, 5% close relative of Mikheil Saakashvili – Timur Alazania, Komissarov has 5%, 0.8% each were bought by Tymofeyev, former coal industry minister of Ukraine Viktor Topolov and Head of U.S. McLarty Associates Edward S. Verona.
Then some deals were signed and the co-owner of Ukrainian ATB-Market retail chain Gennadii Butkevych became the holder of 10% of the company.
“They are my friends and acquaintances. They all have very different shares. Timur Alazania – he helps us with international relations as one of the leaders of the UN Secretariat in the past. Viktor Topolov left the shareholders before the IPO. Butkevych, he is one of the five members of the board of directors, but this is only about 3.5% of the total value of the company,” Ponomarev said.
Trilateral negotiations of the European Union, Russia, and Ukraine on Russian gas transit via Ukraine after 2019 may begin in early July, according to European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic. “Time is a precious commodity. I hope to start working with Russia and Ukraine on the trilateral gas agenda in early July,” he wrote on Twitter. “Complex negotiations ahead,” Sefcovic wrote. He said in late May that the objective of these negotiations will be to determine details of gas transit via Ukraine after 2019 and guarantees of such transit.
Kyivsky cardboard paper mill (Obukhiv, Kyiv region), a leader in Ukraine’s pulp and paper industry in terms of production and sales, produced goods worth UAH 2.149 billion in January-May 2018, which was 18.4% up year-over-year. Thus, production in the first five months of 2018 somewhat slowed compared to the same period last year (production growth in January-April was 26.7% and in January-March 30%), the UkrPapir association said.
Corrugated packaging output grew by 11.2%, to 93.5 million square meters, which was the second highest result among producers of corrugated packaging in Ukraine after Rubizhne cardboard packaging mill in Luhansk region (with Trypilsky packaging plant).
Production of cardboard increased by 15.7%, to 85,400 tonnes. Production of package cardboard alone grew by 31%, to 58,900 tonnes, while box cardboard output fell by 8.2%, to almost 26,550 tonnes. However, production of base paper (for sanitary products) stood at 31,500 tonnes, which was the same as a year ago. Toilet paper output grew by 7%, to 174.9 million rolls. Corrugated packaging output in total in Ukraine (including other producers) grew by 8.4% January through May 2018, to 416.94 million square meters, that of paper and cardboard increased by 12.5%, to 395,650 tonnes.
Kyivsky cardboard paper mill is one of the largest cardboard and paper producers in Europe. It employs almost 2,200 people. It sells produce to almost 700 companies in Ukraine, some CIS member states and the rest of the world. In 2017, the mill saw a 14.8% rise in production from 2016, to UAH 4.85 billion.
