Mykolaiv Ports Aiming To Increase Cargo Turnover To 40 Million Tons

Ports in the Mykolaiv region – a commercial seaport and the Oktiabrsk specialized seaport – are aiming to increase the cargo handling volumes to 40 million tons by 2020. The Mykolaiv region’s Governor Vadym Merykov announced this during a working meeting with the leadership of the Ukrainian Port Authority, the press service of the Mykolaiv regional administration announced.

According to him, the volume of cargo transshipment in the ports was 27.4 million tons in 2015, which is 5.3% more than in the volume in the previous year. A document entitled "Strategy 2020" provides for further increase.

Merykov stressed that investment in development of the ports is already needed. "The Mykolaiv region is the transport gate of not only the south, but the entire Ukraine. Investment in the maritime complex, including state investment, is very important to us," he said.

The head of the Mykolaiv port authority, Oleksandr Popov, said that the situation involving government investment managed to change in 2016. If government investment in the port amounted to UAH 14.8 million last year, the port will now receive UAH 108.4 million for implementation of several projects, projects involving capital construction and development of social facilities.

The Oktiabrsk port authority’s head Andrii Yehorov said that the port made a profit of UAH 89.2 million in 2015, but only 50% of the port’s potential is currently being used, primarily because private stevedores do not want to work through a state stevedoring company that has become a sort of monopolist. According to the Ukrainian Port Authority’s Chairman Andrii Amelin, it is specifically competition that will provide an impetus to development of the port.

The participants in the meeting also discussed a project for future dredging of the Bug-Dnieper-Limansky Channel from 11.2 to 15 meters, among others.

As reported, according to the Ukrainian Port Authority, cargo handling at the Mykolaiv port increased by 7% to 22.2 million tons while cargo handling at the Oktiabrsk port reduced by 1% to 6.9 million tons in 2015.