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Prospects are the following
The present state of the Russian economy does not allow our government to contribute to the Port development acceleration, new building construction, city infrastructure completion — everything necessary for freight traffic co-ordination. Since 1988 all work on reconstruction and new construction work has been implemented here using only our own earned funds amounting to millions of dollars and hundreds of millions rubles. At wharf 101 (area 4) a container terminal of 150 thousand container annual capacity is being created. It is the largest terminal in the nation, with a wharf wall length of over 660 metres. The first wharf of 189 metres length for Ro-Ro type vessels has been already put into operation. Presently, construction work at a container cargo wharf of 447 metres length for PANAMAX type vessels is close to completion. The whole volume of investments into this project exceeds 50 million dollars. This year we are eager to finish all construction works and put the terminal into operation, even if on a temporary basis, in case the required funds are not raised. As much as 24 million dollars will be required just for the purchase of cargo transfer equipment, so we are going to take credits, as we know that without the development of this area the port is going to become much less attractive. The container complex capacities of the port are 100% usable, therefore their development is of primary importance. For this programme implementation, at wharf 88 of the third area one more container terminal will be built anew and equipped with imported equipment. In order to increase the present complex capacity 1.5 times — i.e. up to 50 thousand containers per year, 46.4 million dollars will be required. Undergoing growing competition in carrying out loading and unloading operations, as well as in providing relevant services, our port is continuing intensive production capacities development. In the last three years over 560 billion rubles have been directed for this purpose. This year together with the Seaport Administration we are going to invest 200 billion rubles more. We do not want to recede from our positions having been gained as the result of the highly qualified, intensive work of our staff: now over 15% of all export-import cargo handled by Russia’s ports pass through the Neva harbour, with the whole annual cargo turnover having reached 12 million tons. These results have been achieved in competition not only with foreign Baltic ports, but also with domestic competitors working at the water area belonging to the Sea Administration where over 20 independent stevedor companies are competing with us. Freight traffic structure and direction analysis predetermined the main directions of the port prospective development, among other things, the creation of specialized complexes for cargo handling which enable the raising of productivity and quality of turning round vessels. I would like to remind you that our port is universal as it accepts and dispatches all sorts of cargo. Located on the territory of 270 hectares of the Neva delta, it has four specialized areas. There are tens of well-equipped wharfs with a total length of 7.7 kilometres. The port is capable of the simultaneous turning round of 20 ocean vessels. The sizes of the latter are impressive: 240 metres length, 40 metres width and 11 metres draught. The co-ordinated production activities of the port are provided by 1850 highly qualified dockers, at the wharfs there are 112 gantry cranes, 150 truck loaders and electrical loaders, there are also floating cranes with a rated load capacity of 15-300 tons. Cargo is stored in dozens of covered warehouses, their total area being 100,000 square metres. Most of the cargo is kept on the open concrete and asphalt grounds occupying almost 1 million square metres. The strategy “fast - still faster” makes port staff work in co-ordination with railmen, motor transport and river-transport workers: unloaded cargo is shipped further on without delay using railway platform cars or freight cars, vans or truck tractors, and river boats. Long-term organization measures help to speed up cargo transportation. Direct agreements are being concluded with most of the cargo owners, dispatchers and sea agents, enabling the provision of optimum loading of port structures. In order to improve our work we co-operate with the Dutch ministry of transport and economy, European Union experts, specialists of major ports, such as Amsterdam, Hamburg. A range of services for vessels calling at the port on a regular basis is being extended. In such cases official cargo registration operations take much less time and all cargo transfer work is conducted much faster. Similar economic and organizational measures, but not somebody’s ambitions, help to develop the port as a multi-purpose transport junction on the boundary between East and West. Whatever could be said about our port out of hostility, whatever actions rival ports could undertake, the strategic significance of St.Petersburg port will continue growing. Of the same opinion are international experts helping to improve the seaport in the mouth of the Neva river. They predict a guaranteed cargo volume growth of up to 18-20 million tons by 2000. We do intend to achieve this level as we are not going to suspend port development. The refrigerator wharf was made 100 metres longer in 1996. Now a new refrigerator warehouse is going to be built there with the aid of the US Trade and Development Agency. In two years time we intend to complete the construction and start the operation of the terminal of 0.8 million tons annual capacity. The cargo transfer complex for mineral fertilizers of 1.8 million tons annual capacity is planned to be built at wharf 107. We are also getting ready for the construction of the up-to-date sugar terminal to transfer 1 million tons per year. Four wharfs in Lesnaya harbour will also be reconstructed. For the implementation of these urgent necessities a total of 70 million dollars will be required. We hope that our conditions will attract serious foreign investors as the port provides high income, permanently increases volumes and improves the quality of cargo handling, has highly qualified personnel and modern equipment. Quite a lot of funds should be raised for the development of railway and automobile access roads to the port and for the modernization of adjacent territories. We intend to co-ordinate our plans with the St.Petersburg authorities, communication and transportation ministries, as well as with many of the state and local departments. Over 200 billion rubles are required just for the development of railways and stations at the territories adjacent to the port. It has long been necessary to build modern motor-roads to the Turukhtanniye islands (5 km), to the Ugolnaya harbour (4 km), and to prolongate Morskoi Pekhoty street so that a grade-crossing elimination structure could be provided. To my mind, for the prompt resolution of the port and city development issues all efforts should be united, as well as the means provided for the territorial road fund by the port itself and the other institutions involved. We believe that both state bodies and local authorities will be really concerned about a proper resolution of the above issues in order to help the major port in Russia to work more productively, and to become still more useful for St.Petersburg and the whole of Russia.
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