Marine Log - September 2008 - (Page 36B)

PORTS tember 1991, the former Shipbuilding and Shiprepairing Yard “Ivan Dimitrov” was registered as Rousse Shipyard Ltd. In April 1999, the shipyard was privatized by Rousse Shipyard Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, Germany. PORT OF VIDIN The Port of Vidin has long been favored as a cultural, commercial, trade, transport center. Vidin is the first primary port in the Bulgarian part of the river Danube and it shortens the route from Europe to Asia by 400 km. Two Pan-European Corridors IV and VII are passing through the town of Vidin. The port has a well-developed infrastructure and a superstructure. The port is directly connected with the national transport networks through a railway and a highway. It also is connected with Romania through the auto and railroad ferries. The availability of a duty free zone near the Northern port complex provides an opportunity of developing and maintaining a united port complex. The center of Port Vidin is used to serve passengers and to supply ships, while its south is used to handle general and bulk cargo. At its north, Port Vidin handles general and bulk cargo and its Ferryboat complex serves RO/RO cargo. PRIVATIZING NAVIBULGAR The Privatization Agency of the Republic of Bulgaria is preparing to sell a 70% stake in the state-owned shipping company Navigation Maritime Bulgare EAD (Navibulgar). Navibulgar is controlled by the Ministry of Transport. Navibulgar has been a public company since 2003, but its shares are not traded on the stock exchange. Over the last three years, Navibulgar has been seriously under-geared with the financial leverage ratio being 9% in 2005 and falling down to only 2% in 2007. In this context and in view of the significant accumulated deposited cash, there is significant room for cash and debt management optimization. The major reason for the privatization of BMF EAD is the need to increase the company’s competitiveness on the market. Navibulgar has a fleet of bulk carriers, containerships, tankers/checmical carriers and combi-carriers. It also operates two rail ferries through its Ferry Division, Ferrysped. MODERNIZING PORT TERMINALS By the end of the 2006, Bulgaria had launched concession procedures for three port terminals: Varna North, the Vidin 36B MARINE LOG SEPTEMBER 2008 ICE CLASS TANKERS central port and the port in Lom. The Bulgaria government has committed itself to the development of the LESPORT Port Terminal on its Black Sea Coast. A one-stage tender will be conducted to select a concessionaire to operate, manage and develop the Port Terminal for a term of 30 years. Favorable conditions through 2015 may attract about 3-3.5 million tons of cargoes in the sea ports and about 2-2.5 million tons in the river ports. Modernization of the loading/unloading capacity of the Bulgarian ports could significantly increase capacity to meet the increased demand to 2015. The strategies for modernizing the terminals could take the form of either: expansion and construction of basic port infrastructure; rehabilitating and maintaining the existing port infrastructure; or reforming the port structures in correspondence to the market needs. The Port of Bourgas is undergoing a modernization. The project includes a new breakwater, bulk cargo terminal, and dredging of the access channel is a part of Corridor VIII. The total value of the project is $196 million, with $118 million funded by loan from Japan’s external fund for economic collaboration and $78 million from national co-financing. The new terminal is being built as part of the Port of Bourgas expansion project. The new terminal will handle bulk cargoes, such as coal, coke, ores and ore concentrates, etc., and feature the newest reloading equipment, allowing high productivity. The terminal will have two gripping dumpers (with a capacity of 1200 tons/hr, four portal cranes, 14 rubber-belt conveyors, six frontal stevedores, four frontal small dimension stevedores, one rotor excavator, two mound-forming machines, one wagon loading station with two railways of 600 tons/hr and one railway weighing machine. • Terminal 1 for general and liquid cargoes • Terminal 2 for bulk cargoes • Terminal 3 for RO/RO and ferry • Terminal 4 for containers. The contract for the building of new access channel to the new Terminal 2A in the Port of Bourgas was signed in Nov. 2006 by the Bulgarian Ports Infrastructure Company and the Belgian company, Dredging International. The work under the contract includes: • Deepening the channel to 15.50 m.; • Widening the channel to 150 m; • Enlarging the access channel length from km 1,800 to km 7,300; • A capacity upgrade to 3.7 million m3; • Installing 18 new navigation buoys. The deepening of the access channel to 15.50 meters will allow in the Port of Bourgas to accommodate ships up to 150,000 dwt. • Building a passenger terminal with business-center in the Port of BourgasEast; • Building a container terminal in the Port of Bourgas; • Reconstruction and building of new infrastructure in Port Terminal Rosenets, Bourgas. Briport, a joint venture between local companies Brikel and Portovi Flot 99, and Kremikovtzi Trade are competing for the concension to run the Lom port on the Danube. Port Lom handles general and bulk cargo, to serve passengers and to supply ships. Briport apparently has the edge after offering to pay the highest concession royalty and make the biggest investment in the port. The consortium has pledged to invest BGN 185 million (about $135.4 million) in new warehouses, quay berths and port equipment over the next 35 years. Due to its excellent business climate and reliable communications, the Port of Varna East is preferred by a number of shipping, forwarding and trade companies for their offices. The Customs Office, Railway Station and the headquarters of the national shipping operator are within walking distance. The project investments for extension, reconstruction and modernization of the Port of Varna (container terminal, grain terminal, RO/RO terminal) in Program 2005 amount to EURO 150 million ($214.5 million). About EURO 25 million ($35.7 million) has been slated for new railway infrastructure as part of a new logistic combined transport connection between the Danube River-Port of Rousse-railway transport - Port of Varna - Black Sea. The Port of Varna General Plan is aimed at the development of the port to 2020. The plan includes building of three new terminals for containers, RO/RO and grain. Additionally, terminals for soda, coal/coke, liquid chemicals and cement/clinker will be established on the existing infrastructure in port of Varna West. The project investments call for the extension, reconstruction and modernization of the Port of Varna (container terminal, grain terminal, RO/RO terminal) in the Program of the Ministry of Transport in Republic of Bulgaria amount to EURO 150 million ($214.5 million). ML www.marinelog.com http://www.marinelog.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Marine Log - September 2008

Marine Log - September 2008 Editorial Second Thoughts Update Contents Inside Washington Slick Cleanup The Women of WISTA Keeping Ships at Sea Connected Shipbuilding Shakeup Newsmakers Tech News Contracts Events Website Directory ML Buyer's Guide ML Marketplace Letters Marine Salvage

Marine Log - September 2008

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