OREANDA-NEWS. March 15, 2010. The vessel "Preventer" successfully called to the berth of “NIBULON”, which is the leader of Ukrainian agrarian market, 37,7 thousand tons of barley were loaded, and on Friday morning the vessel came from the company’s terminal in the direction of the raid of port Ochakiv to finish loading up to 58 thousand tons.

The vessel successfully, safely and in a normal mode passed the 1st and 13th bends of the water area of Mykolayiv Commercial Sea Port, as well as whole BDLC twice - towards the terminal of “NIBULON” and returned. This fact confirmed that the head of Mykolayiv Commercial Sea Port Vasyl Kapatsyna and the captain of the port Pavel Ryabchykov supported by the Ministry of Transport and Communications of Ukraine had been blocking the entrance of the vessel for almost 5 months (!) - since the 13th of October, 2009 – motivated by frivolous, unlawful and anticompetitive reasons. Moreover, they argued that the bulker "Preventer" with length 227m and width 32m would not be able to pass these bends safely.

It is planned that the vessel leaves the territorial waters of Ukraine to supply barley on foreign economic contract to Iran on Monday.

Deputy general director of State Enterprise “Delta-Pilot” Vladymyr Sharabura, who personally supervised the pilotage of the bulker "Preventer" from raid parking of port “Pivdennyy” through BDLC and the water area of Mykolayiv Commercial Seaport to the berth of “NIBULON” and in the opposite direction on the raid of port Ochakiv, told to reporters: “Delta-Pilot” did its job as always qualitatively, safe and easily - in normal mode!”.

The head of treaties performance department of “NIBULON” Dmytro Vazanov said: “You do not need to be an expert to understand how far-fetched were the claims of the port and its captain for the pilotage providing of the bulker "Preventer". You saw with your own eyes that in the conditions of announced ice company it took less time for the pilotage of "Preventer" than for the pilotage of most vessels that come to our terminal and are smaller”.  

Mayor of Mykolayiv city Volodymyr Chaika congratulated the staff of “NIBULON” with the victory: “This is the victory of the team and General Director of “NIBULON” Oleksiy Vadaturskyy personally. But it is also the victory of Mykolayiv city. Because opening the city by entering of such large vessels, large investment, we give a signal of confidence to potential investors that their projects will be supported by authority”.

General Director of “NIBULON” Hero of Ukraine Oleksiy Vadatursky noted that the pilotage of "Preventer" would have been impossible if Security Service and Prosecutor General of Ukraine did not intervene into the lawlessness of Mykolayiv Commercial Seaport and Ministry of Transport. Security Service and Prosecutor General of Ukraine are investigating the illegal and anticompetitive actions of Mykolayiv Portmanagement concerning the business activity of “NIBULON”.

“It is a standard situation for us! Our team has successfully coped with the task to ensure the loading of 37,7 thousand tons of barley on the vessel during 36 hours! The vessel was loaded to a depth of 9,2 m. However, if the transport authorities had the state approach to this case, it could have been loaded to a depth of 9,8- 9,9 m. That would allow to load more than 4 thousand tons of barley at the berth of the company additionally and to reduce vessel loading expenses substantially”, - said O. Vadaturskyy.

“However, we are constantly confronted with anti-competitive activity of the chief and captain of Mykolayiv Commercial Sea Port, the Ministry of Transport, they are daily interfering in the business activity of our company and do not give us an opportunity to work properly. But we will overcome the port and ministerial officials’ lawlessness, I am sure that law enforcement authorities will give a proper assessment of their lawlessness!”, - he added.

O. Vadaturskyy said “NIBULON” had suffered an enormous damage, explaining that: “If the Ministry of Transport has at least one decent man, he must think about cancellation of the interfering into the activity of “NIBULON”. Those bureaucrats, who actually privatized maritime complex - as the chief of port Vasyl Kapatsyna did, he owns more than a dozen private companies that are working in the port - must leave this sector of the country once and for all. Especially now when law enforcement bodies deal with them”, - he emphasized.

O. Vadaturskyy thanked to everybody who supported “NIBULON” in the fight against unlawful act of Mykolayiv Commercial Seaport and Ministry of Transport and Communications on the issue of "Preventer" call. He noted the special role of people’s deputies of Ukraine such as Volodymyr Matveev, Mykola Kruglov, mayor of Mykolayiv city Volodymyr Chaika, head of Mykolaiv regional state administration Oleksiy Garkusha, Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Minister Yuriy Melnyk personally, as well as the Ukrainian Agrarian Confederation, headed by Leonid Kozachenko, Ukrainian Grain Association, headed by Volodymyr Klymenko, and the Association of Farmers of Ukraine, headed by Ivan Tomych.

“We realized, if we gave up, then it would be a direct impact on the investment climate of the country, it would deteriorate the business environment for other companies and set a dangerous precedent for the inheritance of low-ranking officials in any industry. This is unacceptable, and such unlawful activity of officials should be immediately stopped, and the law enforcement authorities will give a tough but fair assessment to their activity!”, - said O. Vadatursky.