Ukraine is located near the sea and has such transport arteries as the Danube and the Dnieper. However, by the number of merchant ships in 2010, it was only in 70th place in the world ranking.
In the days of the Soviet Union, two-thirds of cargo carried by sea was handled in Ukrainian ports. However, in the 90s of the XX century, the country lost most of its ships. On August 29, 2012, the Prime Minister of Ukraine Mykola Azarov made a statement on the need to restore the country's merchant fleet. He considers it vital to increase exports. The government plans to annually export more than 20, 000, 000 tons of grain and fertilizers and import about 10, 000, 000, 000 cubic meters. m. liquefied gas. The most convenient way for this, according to the country's leadership, is the fleet, since the Dnieper and Danube rivers flowing in Ukraine have great potential as transport arteries.
The restoration of the sea and river fleet will help reduce the cost of transporting goods within the country. However, the Prime Minister noted that for the implementation of these plans, it is necessary to update the entire transport infrastructure of the country (including railways, airports, highways) and establish competitive prices for the transportation of goods.
The size of financial investments for the implementation of such a project remains unclear, since Ukraine will need additional vessels. So far, only the government has announced its intention to provide in the 2012 budget of Ukraine funds for the restoration of the Dnieper as a shipping company. First of all, the fairway of the river will be cleared and transshipment terminals will be installed. In the future, it is planned to involve private companies in the revival of shipping. So, recently in the Kiev region grain company Nibulon opened a transshipment terminal that can provide loading in river transport up to 10, 000 tons of grain per day. And in the near future it is planned to modernize the port in Odessa and launch a new dry cargo ship by order of Ulstein International AS.
