The Zakarpattia Regional State Administration (RSA) is considering the allocation of a land plot for the construction of a river port and multimodal terminal on the banks of the Tisa River.
This was reported on the RSA’s Facebook page, citing the deputy head of the administration, Myroslav Biletsky.
Prospects for the project were discussed during a meeting with the relevant departments of the Tisza water resources management basin and the State Border Guard Service.
The project can become a component in the organization of international transportation on the Tisza with access to large navigable rivers.
“The river port and multimodal terminal will be the first facilities of this type in Zakarpattia. Its importance for international transportation for the country and our region, in particular, is difficult to overestimate. We are studying the documentary base, problematic issues, communicating with all interested structures to develop a strategy for the fastest possible implementation of the project,” Biletsky said in a statement.
The construction of the river port and multimodal terminal on the banks of the Tisza was initiated by the River Ports Administration. It applied to the regional state administration with a request to allocate a land plot for the facility.
The Mostiska container terminal, which began operations in mid-2022, handled more than 72.4 thousand TEU of cargo in containers in 2023, the press service of the Lemtrans logistics company reports.
The total volume of cargo handled by the container terminal in 2023 amounted to 286 thousand tons. About half of it, 122 thousand tons, was grain cargo, 62 thousand tons – liquid bulk, 35 thousand tons – general cargo, 37 thousand tons – beam cargo, the report said.
In addition, the terminal received electric vehicles in 2023 – 36 containers with 108 cars were unloaded.
“The availability of modern infrastructure and equipment, optimal utilization of production capacities and the professional approach of our employees allowed us to successfully transship all the declared cargo through the terminal in 2023 and set personal records. We expect deeper integration and an increase in cargo traffic from the EU, as well as an increase in containerization,” the press service quoted Dmytro Kobzar, CEO of Mostyska Drive Port, as saying.
According to him, the second half of 2023 saw a dynamic growth in transshipment volumes, which had a positive impact on the terminal’s performance.
“The reason for the growth of cargo transshipment volumes was primarily the reorientation of sea lines and the establishment of work through the ports of Poland. Another factor behind the increase in volumes was the development of production capacities, the provision of new services and a high level of service,” he said.
The export flow of cargo was directed mainly to Asian countries, through European ports, as well as to Poland, Italy and Germany.
Mostyska Dry Port clarified that capital investments in the development of the container terminal’s capacities did not stop in 2023 and amounted to UAH 100 million.
“Despite the war, we do not stop and continue to invest in the Ukrainian economy. In 2024, we plan to increase the terminal’s production capacity by expanding the operating areas for handling and storing containers, as well as actively develop container transportation between the terminal and EU countries as an alternative to road transportation,” Kobzar emphasized.
In 2023, the terminal transferred UAH 27.66 million to the budgets of all levels. UAH 15.49 million was transferred to the state budget alone, including UAH 4.65 million in VAT. Local budgets were replenished by more than UAH 12 million. The single social contribution amounted to UAH 11.13 million.
The Mostyska Container Terminal dry port is a partnership project of Lemtrans and Rail Trans Investment. It is located in the immediate vicinity of the Shehyni-Medica checkpoint on the Ukrainian-Polish border. The total area of the terminal is 36 hectares. The logistical advantage is the availability of 1435 mm and 1520 mm railways, which allows unloading and loading trains bound for the EU countries.
Yulia Svyrydenko, First Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Economy of Ukraine, and Peter Kmec, Vice Prime Minister for Recovery, Resilience and Use of European Funds of Slovakia, discussed the possibility of oil supplies through the Odesa-Brody pipeline.
“We discussed the situation at border crossings, bilateral trade, industrial cooperation, and energy. We are inspired by the implemented project to supply oil through Ukraine to Slovakia through the port terminal and pipeline from Odesa,” Svyrydenko wrote on Twitter (X).
According to her, Ukraine is also interested in providing Slovakia with natural gas storage services in its underground storage facilities (UGS).
As part of the Ukrainian delegation’s visit, Ukrtransnafta CEO Volodymyr Tsependa met with a representative of the operator of the Slovak section of the Druzhba pipeline, Transpetrol’s Chairman of the Board of Directors Martin Ruzhynsky.
According to the Ukrainian operator, the parties summarized the results of cooperation in 2023 and discussed plans for organizing transportation work for the next year.
“The results of the year demonstrate well-coordinated cooperation with our European partners. We want to maintain this result in the future, so we discussed all issues related to oil transportation in 2024, in particular, the modes of pumping through the Druzhba pipeline,” Cependa said in a statement.
The logistics company Soul Marine LLC (Kyiv) will build a 20,000-tonne grain terminal in the port of Izmail (Odesa region) by the end of September, said Ivan Nyakyi, the company’s commercial director, who previously headed Crunchip and Danube Logistics Group, in an interview with Ports of Ukraine.
“At the first stage, we will have 20 thousand tons of one-time storage – four warehouses of 5 thousand tons each. We will have our own laboratory, scales, and everything we need to handle cargo,” he said.
According to Mr. Nikanyi, the necessary equipment has already been purchased.
“Unfortunately, we cannot build our own berth for a simple reason – there is no space. Therefore, we will work through other port operators, which will allow us to load vessels at different berths in Izmail,” he said, adding that preparatory work for the terminal construction has already been completed.
The Commercial Director also informed about the signed contract with the general contractor and the advance payment.
“The other day, the equipment arrived. The first stage of 10 thousand tons will be ready at the end of August, the second – in mid-September,” added Mr. Nikakyi.
It is noted that the company will employ about 10-12 administrative staff and about 30 people at the terminal in Izmail.
Mr. Nyakyi added that Soul Marine also plans to create its own platform for receiving and unloading railroad cars.
“The ability to accept not only vehicles but also railcars will be a great advantage. This is an expensive project, but it is very necessary. We are working on it now,” said the commercial director.
In addition, according to him, in October, Soul Marine plans to reach 60 thousand tons of transshipment through its warehouses, and by the end of the year – 100 thousand tons of transshipment per month. Separately, the company plans to ship 10 thousand tons of its cargo as a trader.
Mr. Nikanyi clarified that the project is being implemented at the expense of an investor who “provides financing and does not interfere with the company’s operations.” He did not name the investor, saying only that it was not related to the transportation or agricultural sectors.
According to the commercial director, Soul Marine’s team includes a technical director who built elevators on the Dnipro, and a corporate director in charge of investments and GR, and a potential terminal manager, forwarder, and agent have been selected.
According to Opendatabot, Soul Marine was registered on June 16, 2023, with a registered capital of UAH 0.5 million. The main activities are non-specialized wholesale trade, auxiliary water transport services, rental of transport and equipment, cultivation of cereals (except rice), legumes and oilseeds.
The company’s ultimate beneficial owner and founder is Mykhailo Kuranda.
Depositing cash through terminals (PTC) to credit the account will require the payer to enter a cell phone number on the terminal screen, receive a one-time password on it and enter it on the terminal screen, confirming consent to perform the payment operation, the National Bank of Ukraine said.
“From August 1, 2023 requisites are added to receipts, which are formed when carrying out cash transactions with the use of payment devices, in particular, through PTCs. Thus, receipts for cash deposit transactions via PTKS for its crediting into accounts shall additionally contain the cell phone number of the payer,” reads a statement on its website on Friday.
At the same time, the NBU points out that this requirement doesn’t apply to such popular terminal payments as utility bills, payments for train tickets, urban and suburban transport fares, top-up travel and transport cards, payments for taxes, fines, administrative fees, charges and other payments to the budget.
Such rules are stipulated by the regulations of the National Bank № 90 of June 30, 2023, the release said.
The Ministry of Development of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure (Minvosstaniya) is preparing to concession the first and fifth terminals of the Chornomorsk sea port.
“The first stage is the development of a feasibility study (feasibility study), the next stage is to hold a tender among those wishing to receive the port terminals “Chernomorsk” for concession,” the press service of the Ministry of Reclamation said in a statement on Friday.
The Ministry reminded that the process of transferring the terminals to concession had begun even before the full-scale invasion of Russia.
Deputy Prime Minister and Head of the Ministry of Restoration Alexander Kubrakov explained that the private partnership will lead to significant investments in the terminals, will optimize the logistics of transportation and improve the quality of service.
Besides, according to his words, thanks to the concession Ukraine will annually receive concession fee and taxes collection to the budget.
The feasibility study will be financed by the Global Infrastructure Fund, experts and consultants will be provided by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the International Finance Corporation.
As reported, in 2021, the Ministry of Infrastructure and the State Enterprise “Administration of the Sea Ports of Ukraine” transferred the state stevedoring companies of the sea ports “Kherson” and “Olvia” to private partners of the state.
Concession is an agreement on the transfer of natural resources, enterprises, other economic facilities owned by the state or a territorial community for temporary operation by other states, foreign firms, private persons.
