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Ferries bring profits
GUSTAV MURSTEN The opening of a direct sea line between St.Petersburg and the Swedish town of Okselzund is the result of a political meeting between the Swedish Prime Minister Goran Persson and Governor Vladimir Jakovlev. The practical implementation of this project is taken up by Nordic Trucker Line. Established specially to work on this new line it includes several founders: the Swedish Maritime Partner AB, the owner of a 26,7% share packet and the Russian Leningrad Impex with 13,5%. Who owns the rest of the shares? - was my first question to NTL Director Gustav Mursten. This ferry was established, as it were, on people’s money. 58,9% of the shares were bought by 700 regular Swedes. Indeed, the subscription was several times more than the offer. It indicates not only great trust but a great responsibility as well, doesn’t it? Yes, that’s true. Still, we would not like to talk of taking risks by our stock holders.The company shares (their nominal value being 100 Swedish crowns each) are sold at higher prices even now, and their quoting at second security markets keeps growing. We remember how successfully the Baltic sea ferry company worked on this route several years ago. And yet, prior to the start of the project everything has been considered in detail by the Swedish side, and a thorough analysis of both Swedish and Russian cargo markets has been carried out. The analysis has proved that today around 75% of all cargo going to Russia via Britain and North European countries pass Sweden. Further on the route, though, it has to pass through Finnish, Estonian and Belorussian-Polish land borders due to the lack of the Russian Baltic fleet in this area. You will agree this means extra expense and the lost time for the parties. That is why we decided to establish a regular transport line between our countries and picked Okselzund for the purpose. Its geographic position is highly advantageous,since it is situated just 120 km. to the south of Stokholm. In the next few months the Gotland ferry which implements cargo and passenger transportation between our countries will be doing 2 or 3 trips per week. It will enable us to perform 20% of all transportation which is to pass this region. With the rise of freight traffic (and experts predict a yearly increase of 10%) we intend to increase the number of voyages. Interviewed by Marina Alexeeva.
HENNER LOTAR The German Company Poseidon — one of the recognized leaders of the navigable business on the Baltic Sea is especially interested in Russian cargo-passenger transportation market. The company has 37 vessels in the Baltic and Northern Seas, with three railway ferries among them. Working on the lines connecting German ports with Poland, Finland, Great Britain, the Netherlands and other countries the Germans provide transportation of 8.5 million tons cargo and 14 ,000 passengers per year. We are very careful in studying the opportunity of organizing the railway ferry communication between Germany and Russia with the use of St.Petersburg port for this purpose, — said Henner Lotar, Chairman of the Poseidon company board. A positive resolution of this issue is confirmed by a non-governmental agreement between Germany and the Russian Federation. In his negotiations with Dmitry Sergeev, the first vice-governor of St.Petersburg, Chairman of the Economic and Industrial Policy Committee, Henner Lotar has repeatedly emphasized his readiness, within the shortest terms, to open the line between the German Mukran and St.Petersburg that would use their cargo ferries. He believes that only St.Petersburg should become Russia’s European gate. The co-operation has been so far restrained as freight traffic formation prospects are still vague. According to the German businessman and Dmitry Sergeev, most of the cargo from Western countries is still transported to Russia on motorways. More often than not it is done because of habit: freight traffic schemes are well-arranged, cargo shippers are known. But there are objective reasons as well: truck transportation is so far cheaper than shipment by sea. Dmitry Sergeev believes that the situation should change for the best as the St.Petersburg authorities take all steps in order to increase port dues up to the level established at the Baltic market. Y Lev Rumyantsev
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