Ukraine News

Ukraine's biggest grain traders agreed on Monday to an economy ministry proposal to limit wheat exports to 20.2 million tonnes in the 2019/20 season to avoid a rise in domestic bread prices.Although Ukraine is a major grain exporter and its harvest largely exceeds domestic consumption, the coronavirus pandemic has led some countries to consider feed export restrictions.Ukrainian bakers and millers last week asked the government to limit exports of grain and related products to…

CMA CGM said on Thursday it has completed the sale of stakes in eight port terminals for $815 million to its joint venture with China Merchants Port Group.Late last year, CMA CGM reached a deal with China Merchants to sell stakes in 10 port terminals to the companies' Terminal Link venture for $968 million, as part of efforts by CMA CGM to finance its acquisition of Swiss-based CEVA Logistics and reduce group debt.The first eight terminals included in the transaction are Odessa Terminal (Ukraine)…

“Freedom” – the absence of subjection to foreign domination or despotic governmentIt has been decades since international relations in the world order dictated true competition for sea control, sea lines of communication, access to world markets, and diplomatic partnerships. However, it is becoming increasingly alarming that nations such as Iran, China and Russia seek to accumulate/consolidate power and re-define international maritime norms, potentially at the peril of diplomatic…

Ukrainian grain exports from sea ports decreased to 963,000 tonnes in the February 22-28 week, from 1.22 million tonnes a week earlier, preliminary data from APK-Inform consultancy showed on Monday.Wheat exports fell to 52,000 tonnes from 290,000 tonnes, and corn shipments decreased to 856,000 tonnes 921,000 tonnes, the consultancy said.Most of Ukraine's grain exports last week headed to Egypt, Spain and Ireland.The consultancy said grain exports jumped to about 39.8 million tonnes so far during the 2019/20 July-June season, from 28.6 million tonnes for the same period in 2018/19.(Reporting by

German logistics and transportation company Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA) said that it has achieved targets for the year as the revenue and operating result (EBIT) increase with moderate increase in container throughput and significant rise in transport volume.The Group revenue increased by 6.8 percent to € 1.38 billion in the 2019 financial year (previous year: € 1.29 billion). The Group’s operating result (EBIT) of  € 222 million (previous year: € 204 million) grew by 8.8 percent.The listed Port Logistics subgroup said that In total…

Marine cargo handling company DP World has agreed to acquire a majority 51% stake in TIS Container Terminal in the Port of Yuzhny, Ukraine, subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, including regulatory approval."Bringing the TIS Container Terminal into DP World's global network of ports, economic zones, warehousing, and inland logistics solutions will strengthen its position as the market-leading terminal of Ukraine," said a press release from the global supply chain…

Ukraine officials and traders do not expect the coronavirus epidemic to have an impact on the country's grain exports to China, although there are delays to transport and disruption to logistics throughout the country.China is a major importer of Ukrainian corn and sunflower oil."I see no reason to worry," said Mykola Gorbachev, the President of the Ukrainian Grain Association (UGA) traders' union."China is in the market, demand has not gone away, but just now American prices are quite competitive with ours so Chinese demand will be divided between us and them…

The turbine manufacturing and installation company Nordex Group booked turbine orders totaling 6207MW in 2019, up 31% on the 4754MW in 2018.The German manufacturer secured deals with a combined capacity of 1477MW in the fourth quarter of last year, which was down on the 1679MW in the last three months of 2018.Overall, the Nordex Group received orders to deliver 1,616 wind turbines with a total output of 6,207 MW in 2019, representing a 31 percent increase on the previous year (2018: 4…

European providers of transportation and logistics services P&O Ferrymasters has announced plans to open five new offices across Turkey over the next two years as it continues the expansion of its pan-European logistics services into Asia.In addition to its existing base in Istanbul, P&O Ferrymasters will develop a comprehensive network across the strategically vital country by opening offices in Izmir on the Aegean coast, the capital city Ankara, Mersin on the south coast, Bursa in the Marmara region and Gaziantep near the border with Syria.Murat Bog…

The Norwegian authorities on Thursday suspended wider search and rescue operations for two Bulgarian sailors who officials say fell overboard from a cargo ship in the Norwegian Sea, the Bulgarian foreign ministry said.The two-helicopter rescue operation began around 400 kilometers southwest of the town of Bodo in the early afternoon on Thursday, but activities were severely hampered by bad weather - high winds and eight-meter-high waves, the ministry said."According to the Norwegian Joint Rescue Coordination Center, under the current climatic conditions there is no chance for those who have fa

A foreign cargo ship ran aground in Istanbul's Bosphorus strait on Friday, requiring a rescue operation and prompting authorities to temporarily close the picturesque and crowded waterway running through Turkey's largest city.There were no injuries or casualties, the governor's office said, adding that the ship had reported engine failure shortly before its grounding near the shore.There was no damage to the concrete walkway running along the shore, Reuters witnesses said.The Bosphorus, among the world's busiest shipping routes, was temporarily closed to international traffic as boats towed the vessel south towards the Sea of Marmara.The Liberian-flagged Songa Iridum had come from Ukraine's Odessa and was headed for Istanbul's port of Ambarli, according to Refinitiv Eikon shipping data.

The master of a Gibraltar-flagged bulk carrier has pleaded guilty to operating a commercial cargo ship while intoxicated, announced U.S. Attorney David L. Anderson and U.S. Coast Guard Captain of the Port Marie Byrd.In pleading guilty, Vadim Humenyuk, of Izmail, Ukraine, admitted that he was intoxicated while serving as the 590-foot long Rainbow Quest while in San Francisco Bay and preparing to sail to South Korea. The plea was accepted by U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas S. Hixon.The investigation began on Tuesday…

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on Monday that the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline would be completed in a matter of months and U.S. sanctions imposed on the project last week would not be "catastrophic".Russia's new gas transit deal with Ukraine would also mollify the impact on Russian gas supplies of U.S. sanctions introduced on the pipeline project, he said.Last week a major contractor suspended work on the Nord Stream 2 project, which is led by Russia's Gazprom, due to U.S. sanctions introduced by U.S.

CMA CGM said on Friday it had finalized an agreement with China Merchants Port Holdings Co.

Russia plans to invest $500 million in the Syrian port of Tartus and build a grain hub there to boost its presence on Middle East markets, Interfax news agency cited Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov as saying on Tuesday.Russia, the world's largest wheat exporter, has stepped up grain supplies to support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in recent years since Moscow's 2015 military intervention on his behalf in Syria's civil war.Construction of the necessary infrastructure at the port…

Russia on Monday handed back three naval ships it captured last year to Ukraine, something Kiev wanted to happen before a four-way peace summit on eastern Ukraine next month in Paris.The handover, confirmed by the two countries' foreign ministries, occurred in the Black Sea off the coast of Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014.Russia seized the ships in the same area in November last year after opening fire on them and wounding several sailors. Moscow said the ships - two small Ukrainian armoured artillery vessels and a tug boat - had illegally entered its territorial waters. Kiev denied that.Russia returned the sailors…

Marine services provider James Fisher and Sons Plc (JFS) said on Tuesday that hackers had gained unauthorized access to its computer systems, sending its shares down as much as 5.7%.JFS said it had taken all affected systems offline as a precautionary measure and was working with cyber security experts to recover systems, applications and data from its disaster recovery back-up."Work is ongoing to complete the recovery as quickly as possible and to minimize any impact on our businesses…

Europe’s fastest growing port, the Port of Gdansk, has outlined huge expansion plans designed to double its cargo volumes to 100m tonnes a year, during a high-level maritime and business delegation from Poland to Singapore.The delegation marks 50-years of diplomatic ties between the countries and is being organized with PSA International, the Singapore based global ports group. In May this year PSA International formally acquired DCT Gdansk, the largest container terminal in Poland…

If autonomous vessels are the future of maritime shipping, then cyber threats may be its Achilles heel. Congested shipping, restricted visibility, limited maneuverability, and intensive docking activities all contribute to port hazards – 42 percent of EU reported marine accidents (injury/death/damage to ships) took place in port areas and 44 percent of workboat fatalities occurred on Tugs. Autonomous shipping should provide numerous benefits including increased safety by relieving crewmembers of unsafe and repetitious tasks.

Ukraine's  NIBULON shipbuilding and repair yard announced launching its first 140-m vessel, a unique NIBULON MAX vessel.The river-sea floating vessel is the longest one built for the past 25 years of Ukraine’s independence. The vessel flies the Ukrainian flag.NIBULON MAХ will enable the company to increase the annual river transshipment by fleet by 2-3 million tons per year and to increase transshipment volumes by NIBULON’s fleet up to 5 million tons per year.Construction of this class vessel is an absolutely new and higher level of NIBULON’s shipbuilding facilities.

The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78) began its north-bound transit to the Black Sea August 8, to enhance regional maritime stability and a show of support for our NATO allies and partners in the region.This is the sixth time a U.S. ship has visited the Black Sea since the beginning of 2019. The last ship to visit the Black Sea was USS Carney in July. During its time in the Black Sea, USS Carney participated in exercise Sea Breeze 2019, a U.S.-Ukraine…

The multi-purpose dry cargo vessel Shair Vagif, owned by the Transport Fleet of the Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company (ASCO) and operated in external waters, was overhauled at the Chernomorsk Shiprepair Yard  shipyard in Ukraine.Within the implemented works from July 3 to August 12, hydraulic booster of the vessel, its main engines and separators, including fuel, radio navigation and rescue systems, were repaired.Moreover, all automated ship control systems were restored. Thus…

Sergei Frank will step down as president and chief executive of Russian state-controlled shipping giant Sovcomflot after 15 years at the helm, four sources familiar with the decision told Reuters on Tuesday.Frank will give up operational control of Sovcomflot and take over as chairman of the company's board, two of the sources said.It was not immediately clear why Frank, 59, was moving position.