The Economic Court of the Odessa Region has terminated the agreement on joint operations between the state-owned Ilyichevsk Commercial Seaport and the Container Terminal Ilyichevsk private enterprise (CTI). According to the press service of the Ilyichevsk Commercial Seaport, which initiated the relevant court proceedings, the port’s lawsuit was upheld in full and the agreement on joint operations dated June 22, 2005, was terminated.

The court's decision has not yet entered into force.

According to the Ilyichevsk Commercial Seaport’s Deputy Director for Operations K. Kravtsov, the Container Terminal Ilyichevsk private enterprise failed to meet the set target of 263,000 tons in 2014. Only 162,000 tons out of the planned 250,000 tons were processed in December 2014. The negative dynamics of cargo handling continued in January 2015, with the shortfall increasing even further. The actual processing volume was 100,000 tons, compared with the target of 195,000 tons.

"Such work, which is resulting in losses to the port, cannot satisfy the enterprise," the Ilyichevsk Commercial Seaport said in a press release.

"When the container terminal is returned to the port, all the terminal’s employees will be transferred to work at the Ilyichevsk Commercial Seaport, with preservation of the social package stipulated in their collective agreements and the active legislation," the press service of the seaport said.

The Ilyichevsk container terminal is capable of handling vessels with a capacity of up to 8,000 TEU. The terminal has a quay length of 656 meters, a water depth alongside berth of up to 13.5 meters, a container storage area of with a capacity of 17,100 TEU, and a container processing capacity of 850,000 TEU per year. This terminal was formerly part of the Russian group National Container Company (NCC), but NCC was bought in September 2013 by the Global Ports holding. Information on the website of the holding states that it performs operations only in the Baltic and Far East Basins and that it has the option of acquiring 50% of CTI and believes that the Ukrainian market has great prospects in the long-term future.

The Ilyichevsk seaport is one of the two main container ports in Ukraine (the second is the Odessa seaport).