Yuzhny’s ship comes in

Maersk’s brand-new ECUMED service is arriving directly from Equador, but it has been a long time coming, held back by the fluctuating fortunes of the region which has seen the Ukraine’s container volumes drop twice.

Andrii Kuzmenko of TIS tells Port Strategy that TIS has been flexing its muscles with bulk cargo, handling inbound bulk cargoes such as coal, and outbound pig iron and steel, while it has been waiting for the first box ship to arrive.

TIS operates eight 15m-deep berths with a total length of 2,380m and the company has invested more than $350m in port infrastructure so far. Further, there is still plenty of room for expansion, as there is a 1,300 metre quay yet to be developed.

Steve Wray of OSC (part of the Royal Haskoning Group) adds that Yuzhny remains an attractive alternative, “considering the length of quay and depth of water”. This is of interest, he says, not just for some main arterial services, but also for secondary trades as recent newbuild orders means larger tonnage will start to fall from the main east-west routes in 2012.

He adds, “This cascade effect, coupled with signs of recovery in the region, is once again likely to result in more direct calls into the Black Sea by the main shipping lines.”

Two other development projects are also in the pipeline at Yuzhny. One is a 20,000 m2 cold storage facility and the other is a 4km2 industrial park, both of which will be situated right next to the container terminal.