OREANDA-NEWS. December 23, 2009. The Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS Russia) jointly with the Central Marine Research and Design Institute and ASSO-Invest Consulting analyzed the markets of loading-and-unloading works in marine and river transport, reported the press-centre of FAS Russia.

FAS Russia observed a high level of competition between stevedoring companies (intra-port competition) and between different Russian and foreign ports (inter-port competition).

In 2007, FAS Russia forwarded a proposal to the Government of the Russian Federation to put the Federal Tariff Service (FST Russia), with engagement of the interested federal executive bodies, in charge of coordinating termination of the government regulation of tariffs for loading-unloading works in marine and river ports (except the Extreme North). Accordingly, the FAS Russia's market findings were forwarded to FST Russia, the Russian Ministry of Transport and the Russian Ministry of Economic Development.

In 2008, FAS Russia and the above bodies reached an agreement about stage-by-stage termination of the government regulation of tariffs for loading-and-unloading works in the river ports of the Russian Federation, except ports located in the Extreme North.

An agreement regarding marine ports was not reached; however, on 24th August 2009 the Moscow Arbitration Court agreed with the market analysis of loading-and-unloading works and confirmed that the geographic boundaries of the loading-and-unloading market are not limited by Zolotoi Rog Harbour (as insisted by FST Russia) and rather comprise the whole Primorsky and Khabavsk regions. The Court obligated FST Russia to exclude "Vladivostok Commercial Sea Port" OJSC from the Register of the transport natural monopolies. The 9th Arbitration Appeal Court upheld the ruling, indicating that if at least one more economic entity appears in the market, which goods or services can substitute the goods or services of a natural monopoly, upon a petition the latter must be excluded by FST Russia from the Register of natural monopolies.

Deregulation of loading-and-unloading works in marine and river transport, initiated by FAS Russia, has a new development: on 4th December 2009 the First Chairman for the Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation, Igor Shuvalov, made a decision on implementing the project for abolishing direct price regulation of natural monopolies, providing loading, unloading, and cargo storage services in the Big port St Petersburg.

The pilot project for abolishing regulation will be carried out without excluding economic entities from the Register of natural monopolies. Based on the monitoring findings, the authorities will arrive to a conclusion on expediency of terminating government regulation of natural monopolies, providing loading, unloading and cargo storage services in the sea ports of the Russian Federation.

Deregulation of the tariffs of economic entities in the Big port St Petersburg increases importance of the draft Decrees of the Government of the Russian Federation, devised by FAS Russia: "On Approving the Rules for Non-Discriminatory Access to the Services in Marine and River Ports and Transport Terminals" and "On Approving the Rules for Non-Discriminatory Access to the Infrastructure of Inland Waterways". Currently, they are being discussed with the interested government agencies and the leading associations (the Association of Commercial Seaports, the Union of the Russian Ship-owners, the Association of Navigation Companies, the Association of the River Ship-owners and River Ports).