Deregulation took effect at Ukrainian seaports at midnight on Tuesday, Infrastructure Minister Andrii Pyvovarskyi announced on his Facebook page.

"This news may mean nothing to the average Ukrainian, but it means saving billions of hryvnia per year to businesses that use ports," wrote the minister.

According to him, the simplification of procedures and their approximation to European standards will require significant resources from corrupt officials and make logistical procedures faster.

"We have done what we are able to do at the level of the Ministry of Infrastructure. The next steps will depend on cooperation with other agencies. We will discuss further steps at the Yuzhny seaport on Wednesday. I ask all companies doing business in Ukrainian ports to provide feedback about how it is all working within a month," Pyvovarskyi said.

As reported, the Cabinet of Ministers resolution No. 491 canceled inspection on board ships, introduced automated radiological control of goods and electronic document management in seaports, and simplified the procedure for registration of yachts. According to the press service of the Administration of Seaports of Ukraine, as of September 7, all the 13 border crossings at Ukrainian ports had been equipped with updated technological schemes for passage of goods, vehicles, and people across the state border. The resolution came into force on September 8. inspection  directly on board ships was canceled from that day, and this procedure will now be performed only if there is a documented, specific reason and cargo operations at the port will performed without delay.

The resolution No. 483 ensures equal access to the port’s infrastructure for all port operators by introducing a uniform tariff.

The resolution No. 492 cancels regulation of segregated ballast, which previously created broad opportunities for corruption. This has received special approval from the European Business Association.