The transnational German transport company Hapag-Lloyd has announced the opening of the company’s Ukrainian office in Odessa.
According to the company’s press release, among the advantages of Ukraine, Hapag-Lloyd notes the strategic geographical position, the attractiveness of the export market for mineral resources and agricultural production.
“Ukraine is an important importer of electronics, equipment and consumer goods, as well as the location of operations for some of the world’s largest multinational companies, which opens up great opportunities for sea carriers such as Hapag-Lloyd,” the Ukrainian office of the company said.
The new office will be located in Odessa. At the moment, it already employs more than 20 people.
“The economic growth of the country is convincing, and many Ukrainian shippers are already using the services of Hapag-Lloyd. Opening our new office in Ukraine, we pay tribute to the excellent business development and great opportunities that we see in this market,” the company’s management said.
Hapag-Lloyd was founded in 1970 and owns a fleet of 241 modern container ships with a total carrying capacity of 1.7 million tonnes. Hapag-Lloyd has a container capacity of approximately 2.8 million tonnes, including one of the largest and most modern refrigerated container fleets.
The China-Europe freight train with household goods, which departed from Guangzhou on May 29, arrived at the DP World TIS Pivdennyi unloading sea container terminal, the press service of the Ukrainian logistics company UNI-LAMAN GROUP, which is the initiator and organizer of this project, said on Tuesday night.
According to the operator, the train arrived on June 19, but the official welcoming ceremony took place on Tuesday, June 22. The trip from Guangzhou to Odessa region took 22 days. The train ran through China, Mongolia, Russia, Ukraine, through the customs posts Erlian – Zamyn-Üüd, Naushki – Sükhbaatar, Valuiki – Topoli, Chornomorska station – TIS and covered 8,408 km.
UNI-LAMAN GROUP said that this train transported fifty containers of cargo, including: furniture, electrical equipment and other goods.
“This train will help entrepreneurs receive goods from Guangdong and other southern provinces twice as fast, along with a similar delivery by sea. Today, we see a great demand for this route, so we do not want to be satisfied with what has already been achieved and will direct our efforts towards further fruitful cooperation with China to expand trade between our countries. By the end of the year, we plan to increase the number of these trains to ten per month and make regular trips from other provinces of China,” the press service said, citing UNI-LAMAN GROUP Board Chairman Hennadiy Sorochynsky.
The train will run on a regular schedule, which is included in the schedule of the state railway of China.
Two warships belonging to the countries of the North Atlantic Alliance, on Friday, June 18, entered Odessa seaport.
According to Odessa-based Dumskaya online publication with reference to its own correspondent, British destroyer HMS Defender D36 and Dutch HNMLS Eversten F805 entered the port. The ships were escorted by the port tugboats Bulat and Patriot.
“This is not the first time that British Type 45 destroyers have been to Odessa – a few years ago HMS Duncan [2017 and 2019] and HMS Dragon [2020] visited us, but the Defender is in the Black Sea for the first time. The Defender joined the Royal Navy in March 2013. The total displacement is 8,500 tonnes, length is 152 meters, width is 21, draught is over 7 meters, and speed is over 30 knots,” the journalists said.
They add that the Defender is equipped with such naval gun systems as a 114-mm Mark 8 Mod, a pair of 20-mm Mark 15 Phalanx and two 30-mm Oerlikon.
“Missile armament is 2×4 launchers for Harpoon anti-ship missiles and 48 launchers for Aster-15 or Aster-30 missiles. There are two Lynx helicopters or one Merlin in the hangar,” the message said.
It notes that the Eversten entered the Black Sea region in 2019, but visited Trabzon, Poti and Constanta. The ship joined the Netherlands Navy in June 2005. Its length is 144 meters, width is 19, and draught is 5 meters. Total displacement is over 6,000 tonnes, its crew consists of over 200 people, and speed is over 28 knots.
The artillery armament of the Dutch vessel consists of one 127-mm main-caliber gun, a seven-barreled 30-mm gun Goalkeeper, a pair of Oerlikon, and Browning machine guns.
“Missile armament consists of eight Harpoon anti-ship missiles and 40 vertical launch launchers MK41 for the Standard SM2 missile defense system SM2 Block IIIA [32 missiles ammunition], Sea Sparrow RIM-7R [four cells, 32 missiles ammunition]. Torpedo armament consists of two twin-tube 324-mm torpedo tubes MK32 [for torpedoes MK46]. There is an NH-90 helicopter in the hangar,” the journalists said.
It is noted that the ships are part of the escort of the newest British aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth, which recently launched a round-the-world voyage, and shortly before entering Odesa, they both conducted joint maneuvers with American destroyer USS Laboon DDG58.
Radisson Hotel Group opened in Odessa on Derybasivska Street early June the seventh hotel of the chain in Ukraine – Radisson City Center Odessa, the press service of the company told Interfax-Ukraine on Tuesday.
“We are delighted to open the doors of our first Radisson hotel in Odessa,” Area Senior Vice President for Central & Eastern Europe, Russia and Turkey at Radisson Hotel Group Yilmaz Yildirimlar said, quoted by the company’s press service.
He said that Radisson is an upscale hotel brand that offers Scandinavian-style hospitality and has a strong potential for development in the Ukrainian market. Now it is represented in Ukraine by 1,445 guest rooms, including hotels that are under construction.
According to the press service of the company, the Radisson Hotel City Center Odessa offers 90 rooms, decorated in a laconic Scandinavian style, with a view of Derybasivska Street and the historic city center. The hotel has the Gatto Nero restaurant with two halls, seating from 30-80 guests and a conference area for business travelers seating 85 guests.
The Radisson Hotel Group is one of the largest hotel groups in the world with nine hotel brands and over 1,500 hotels in 120 countries.
A China-Europe freight train carrying household goods is heading from Guangzhou, China, to Odessa, Ukraine’s Ministry of Infrastructure said on its Facebook page on Friday.
“Aa total of 50 containers with a volume of 40 feet each left the territory of Mongolia, 5,330 km are left to the border with Ukraine… This route combines the delivery of goods by sea and rail, as it combines two ports – Chinese Gaunzhou and Ukrainian Odessa. The distance between destinations is 8,408 km,” – the message says.
The ministry said that in Mongolia, the train was reloaded at the railway docking port of Erenhot. More than 6,000 freight trains from China to Europe pass through this hub.
The Ministry of Infrastructure recalled that the first train from the Chinese port of Guangzhou to Europe left for Poland at the end of April this year.
In 15 days, it arrived at its destination almost twice as fast as by sea.
Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) will resume its flight Odesa – Istanbul (Turkey) – Odesa from March 29, 2021, the press service of the air carrier has reported.
In addition, UIA is also increasing the frequency of flights Kyiv – Istanbul – Kyiv to 21 flights a week.
The airline said that flights from Kyiv to Istanbul and back will be operated daily three times a day, and in some periods – four times a day.
Return flights on the Odesa – Istanbul – Odesa route will be operated on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Direct flights from Kyiv and Odesa to Istanbul are also operated by Turkish airlines and Ukraine’s SkyUp Airlines.
