NEVA 2013, which convenes in Russia’s ‘maritime capital’ St Petersburg between September 24 and 27, will offer delegates and exhibitors the opportunity to scrutinise the significant developments in the structure and operation of Russia’s maritime industries and the nation’s growing presence on the international stage.
Organized by UK-based Dolphin Exhibitions at the Lenexpo exhibition complex, NEVA 2013 is expected to attract more than 870 exhibitors from over 55 countries seeking to broaden trading ties with Russia. It will also feature a wide-ranging conference and seminar programme with an array of leading Russian and foreign experts ready to debate the key issues.
“NEVA 2013 will build on the tremendous success of the previous exhibition and conference in 2011, focusing on the development of ships and marine equipment, navigation, logistics, ports, the offshore sector and inland waterways. The message, once again, will be Russia is open for business,” says Roderick Keay, Dolphin general director.
More than 1,200 participants from over 50 countries attended NEVA 2011 with 17,000 professional visitors registering for the show event and Mr Keay expects the number to pass 20,000 this year.
“Supported by leading administrations and enterprises in Russia NEVA provides the unique gateway to meet shipping and offshore energy executives from all regions of this massive country under one roof,” Mr Keay adds.
As in 2011, when NEVA showcased important initiatives by first-time exhibitor Bureau Veritas with the Russian Register and by classification society rival American Bureau of Shipping with the St Petersburg-based Admiral Makarov State Marine Academy (AMSMA), this year’s event – the 21st version since the event was launched in 1991 – will again underscore Russia’s determination to participate fully in the international marketplace.
This determination has already been seen this year in several important initiatives. For instance, the status of the Krylov Shipbuilding Research Institute has been upgraded so that as the KSRI Maritime Centre it can implement commercial programmes more effectively, with new authority to function on a commercial basis. The Administration Office for the Northern Sea Route was established in Moscow at the end of January to oversee regulatory, technical and financial control of shipping route and port operations.
In another major development, the newly-merged Makarov Academy and State University for Waterborne Transport organisation has been made responsible for overseeing and implementing the major modernisation programme for Russia’s inland waterways network and its fleet.
And the demand for Russia to be open for business was taken up recently by President Vladimir Putin at the naming ceremony for the Vitus Bering ice-breaking offshore platform supply vessel. President Putin called on Russian industry to boost the design and production of hi-tech vessels and underlined the necessity for these industries to cooperate more closely with foreign counterparts.
The president’s theme will be endorsed at NEVA by United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC), which believes that 2013 offers a “widely acknowledged platform for international business cooperation” in developing technology for extracting oil and gas at sea and for transporting cargoes on northern sea routes.
“USC guarantees the promotion of national achievements in the design, production, supply, repair and conversion of sea and inland waterway vessels for commercial fleet operations, based on the most advanced international technology, and increases the competitiveness of the shipbuilding industry and shipping as a reliable partner in global marine markets,” says A.A. Diachkov, USC president.
The Ministry for Industry and Trade is another major backer of NEVA. “Russian shipbuilding is ready to offer its technologies and actively operate in the international market,” says L.V. Strugov, department director.
The Ministry, Mr Strugov adds, is backing the drive to showcase and promote Russia’s shipbuilding industry to the Russian and international markets, “to strengthen international cooperation and investment in shipbuilding, offshore technique production, technologies and equipment and to increase the international image of Russian shipbuilding and shipping as a reliable partner in global maritime markets.”
The Union of Russian Shipowners (SOROSS) has identified two priorities it will address at NEVA 2013 – the current state of global shipping and its influence on Russia and the development of the Arctic sea transport system in Russia.
Issues voiced in the first criterion include the consequences for shipping of Russia’s entry into the World Trade Organisation, Russian national policy governing commercial shipping, the competitiveness of Russian shipping, the role of Russian shipyards in developing a commercial fleet, opening the Arctic Shelf, building LNG and ice-strengthened vessels and drilling platforms and addressing concerns over the transportation of oil and liquefied natural gas.
The Ministry will also focus on issues concerning the Development of the Arctic sea transport system in Russia including the development of a nuclear ice-breaking fleet for Arctic sea routes, international transit, the development of a Russian Arctic sea transport system, navigation and hydrographic services for ship owners looking to operate via the North Sea route and the transportation of oil and gas from Arctic deposits.
The Association of Russian Sea Commercial Ports (ASOP) will focus on advanced port equipment and technical knowledge to develop infrastructure and superstructure needed to support offshore oil and gas exploration and will hold a seminar programme during NEVA highlighting Russian and other state-of-the-art port equipment, systems and technology.
Navigation and hydrographic issues will be put under the spotlight by the Department for Navigation and Oceanography (Ministry of Defence) with specific reference to creating technical facilities and equipment for high precision navigation, digital sea maps and data bases. Issues concerning training will also be addressed.
So, too, will be the host of safety concerns arising from programmes to develop the Arctic and North Sea routes. The Association for Development of Sea Rescue, Safety and Diving Equipment will discuss plans for the construction and operation of rescue vessels and fire-fighting vessels in ports and at sea.
NEVA 2013 is supported by:
• The United Shipbuilding Corporation of Russia
• The Government Department for Shipbuilding and Marine Technology
• The Ministry for Industry and Trade of The Russian Federation
• The Union of Russian Shipowners (SOROSS)
• The Union of Oil and Gas Equipment Producers
• The Association of Russian Sea Commercial Ports (ASOP)
• The Department for Navigation and Oceanography
• The Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs
• The Association for Development of Sea Rescue, Safety and Diving Equipment