1. Robert J VERMETTEN,
Managing Director TPL
8TH Shortsea-Europe conference,
Bremen 23-24,SEPT 2015
RUSSIA : SOMETIMES SUN GOES UP IN THE WEST
2. SHIFT IN TRANSPORT TO CENTRAL ASIA
COLLAPSE OF THE ROEBEL value of 1 new Russian RB :
0,025 € (jan 2013) to 0,012 € (aug 2015)
0,033 U$ (jan 2015) to 0,012 U$ (aug 2015)
OFFICIALLY Investments ex USA stopped, while oil prices went down
Less imports, more home production
Payment arranged off shore because of heavy taxation
Severe fall in business in Russie - 40% -75% more poverty for russian people
“business is not worse than before, but economy is worse, and
you can feel each small problem much harder “( M.Y. russian buss.partner)
3. PAYMENTS BECOME PROBLEMATIC
Payments become problematic (delays, mechanics,..)
Offshore arrangements common to respect contracts
R/E situation uncertain, terms of trade changing
For import/export companies it is hard to make purchase
decision on selling / buying
Hope for betterment in 2016 (World Championship)
4.
5. 13 COUNTRIES ARE MEMBER OF THE SILKROAD OF 21ST CENTURY
PURPOSE : LANDBASED CONNECTION TO THIRD COUNTRIES AND ASIA
AS WELL AS GATEWAY PORTS AND AIRPORTS AS THE MAIN ENTRY AND EXIT POINT OF
COMMUNITY FOR PASSENGERS AND FREIGHT.
VIA CORRIDOR 9 : EU-CAUCASUS-ASIA COMPLEX MULTI-MODAL TRANSPORT SYSTEM IN
COUNTRIES OF THE REGION
ALSO DEVELOPMENT OF TRANSPORTATION LINKS AND TRADE RELATIONS
COMING TENDENCY OF MARITIME CARGO FLOWS FROM AND TO SE ASIA TO USE MED
PORTS DUE TO COST PRESSURE /REDUCE GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS
PROVIDED CAPACITY AND SERVICE Q OF PORTS AND HINTERLAND WOULD ALLOW THIS;
TRACECA
6. TRACECA Route Attractiveness Index (TRAX)
A comparison : TRANS-RUSSIAN vs TRANS-TURKEY vs
TRANS- CAUCASUS
TRANS – RUSSIAN TRANS – TURKEY TRANS - CAUSACUS
TRAVELCOST 1 2 2
TIME COST 1 1 2
RELIABILITY 1 2 3
SAFETY/SECURITY 1 3 2
GLOBAL
ATTRACTIVENESS
1 2 2,75
(source : idea)
7.
8.
9. Specify NHM code (6 figures of BTN code)
Detailed info on specs (+ drawing needed)
Wide choice of spec . Equipment
Gabarit limits scheme (dets in yr hands)
10. HEAVY LIFT CARGOES
Inland railroads (larger width) eg 220
ton Trafo, ex S Korea to Poland. Local
ops via polish Bedmed logistics.
Inland waterways (mainly european
part)
Poor conditions of automobile roads
and bridges (4.1 – 4.5 m fm ground)
Lack of cargo handling in oblasts
11. CUSTOMS CLEARANCE
Cargo details, correct info need
Inland clearance or border clearance?
With bonded trucks where in transit
if importduties >50000 usd.
Never DDP , only DAP (railhead)
Road Transport problems for LT truckers
end 2014
12. POSITIVE CHANGES AHEAD ???
Mr Medvedev published on 20/8/2015 a directive to simplify customs
matters…
Cost for customs processing at RU seaports should not exceed
comparable costs at ports in other countries
Today we see operating costs and transport tarifs rising
Before the end of 2015, 15 new measures will be taken (including
digital declarations) we truly hope this will succeed, but no news as
yet on update??
Possible transfer to other authorities : tax collection to tax authorities
and control part to border control und FSB control.
Russian customs had too strong a position since long.
14. INLAND WATERWAYS / PORTS :SEVERAL
WAYS TO CENTRAL ASIA
Good feederconnections from baltic and north sea ports
Modern port facilities (600 tm floating crane in SPT, 150 mt mobile crane)
No draft problems anymore ACL calling directly USA to SPT
Inland barges upto 2000 – 2500 mt can reach Astrakan
UST-LUGA port OK but bad road connections, slowly improving now major ferry
and container lines calling.
15. VOLGA –BALT CHANNEL + VP
Larger shipment size + oog cargoes
Good connection from/to : Europe
/ White Sea / Baltic ports /
Black/Med sea ports / Caspian
ports
Only Russian flag vessel on Russian
waterways
Direct loading in Europe to avoid
transhipment in St Petersburg (often
congested)
16. ALL SHIPS DEPLOYED IN THE TRADE TO CASPIAN SEA ARE SEA RIVER TYPE
VESSELS OF 3000-5000 MT , CARRYING CAPACITY THAT MEETS THE
NEEDS OF THE MARKET;
LOW SUPERSTRUCTURE AND LOW DRAFT ALLOW THEM TO NAVIGATE IN
SHALLOW WATERS.
ALL SHIPMENT TO THE CASPIAN SEA ARE REALIZED THROUGH THE
VOLGA-DON CANAL IN THE NAVIGATION PERIOD. IT TAKES ABOUT 4
DAYS TO REACH ROSTOV FROM MARMARA PORTS, WHERE CUSTOMS
CLEARANCE PROCEDURES FOR VOLGA DON TRANSIT PASSAGE ARE
CONDUCTED.
THE VESSEL PASSES 18 LOCKS THROUGH THE VOLGA-DON CAN AND IT
TAKES ABOUT 7 DAYS TO REACH ASTRAKAN AND ABOUT 3 DAYS TO
TURKMENBASHII FROM ASTRAKHAN.
VESSEL APPROACHING VOLGA DON CANAL
1ST LOCK ON ITS WAY TO TURKMENBASHI
17. Via TK one can handle any type of cargoes
especially project cargoes from/to DERINCE PORT
to/from any destination at CIS.
• Our operation starts with ordering and supply of
CIS railway wagons
• Cargo delivery from the warehouse of the shipper
to the railway station or port
• Transhipment from trucks into wagons or marine
vessels in the ports.
• Loading / unloading of CIS railway wagons at the
station from the truck into the wagon and vice
versa
• Preparation of shipping documents (CIM/SMGS,
Bill of lading, etc)
• Sea journey between Derince and Ilyichevsk ports
by railway ferry
• Passing customs with all necessary formalities but
no any cargo transfer.
• Further delivery of the wagons to the final point of
destination in CIS countries and Turkey
18. Thanks for you kind attention !
Any questions, I would like to hear !
Editor's Notes
Before I came here I spoke with a friendly dutch journalist working in Moscow as a correspondent since 2007 for several financial publication and received several awards for his work. He told me that he had seen changing Russia in a not recognisable way. Every effort to really understand Russia is doomed to fail. It is never black or white. So apparantly things did not change very much since 98. It remind me a russian client with whom I was connected, and his good friend and nephew told me : “Isaac he never lies, but for him, sometimes sun goes up in the West”.
I always like to recall my very first image from Russia in 1992 when I pioneered on this market, 2 beggars playing chess at they quay of the Moscwa river in front of presidential palace and Ukraine Hotel.
Since start of crisis, russian volumes decreased even more since 2015
Rate of exchange of RUBEL went down from 1,75 – 1,84 RB/€ (2013) to 0,40 RB/ EUR (2015) because polical crisis, oil prices went down, investments from USA stopped. The rubel crisis means much more poverty for Russian people.
Russia try to compensate reduction in imports with more own home production, Russia avoids foreign purchases, and payments are arranged offshore to avoid heavy taxation.
Several LT trucks have sold their trucks and got back to local transport the crisis is very severe for everyone, MANY COMPANIES ARE facing a decrease of -40% and other company even more -50 % - 60% a business friend is experiencing a fall back o 75% for his Russian branch office.
This shift creates more transport between Central Asia and Russian Federation.
No cars are sold, decrease in volumes, there is still transport, but no profit only loss. In both direction prices are decreasing.
Payment become problematic, the USD payments drive out the RB. You can agree today a price of 60000 RB , and tomorrow they may ask you 70000 rb duet o change in value of good . This rate of exchange situation is killing business, nothing can be predicted , it effects every one.
Especially for importers it is very hard to make a purchase decision on buying and selling rate.L/C or LAW is not given any help unfortunately. Payment follow easily 2 months later, therefore more and more offshore accounts are used, to create a bit more stability. Money transfer from Russia costs more than offshore transfers.
Figures on infrastructure are always impressive, herewith the figure for Ukraine, Russian federation is a multipli of this infrastructure.
At present there are 3 routes were studied by IDEA for E.U from the perspective of the freight forwarder.
At present there are 3 routes were studied by IDEA for E.U from the perspective of the freight forwarder.
Under pressure of president PUTIN quality of rail (and also airfreight) has improved; on certain main axles like Vladivostok – Orsk (Jekaterinburg) a transport 8000 km was handles in 17-18 days with daily track and trace.
China to Russia goes for 40% via Baltic & finnish ports and for 60% via ST Petersburg, since often congested so cargoes are shifted more to Baltic. We prefer to work with customs in Finland (Kotka) and in mainly Latvia (Riga Port), LT is far less important in transittrade today.
Transport ex Finland mainly to Moscow by rail same gauge,
Contract with rail transport mainly from China but also from SE Asia, Central Asia, Thailand via KZ to Russia (40d TT) driving at 200-250 km/day average are increasing, the inland leg is taken over by many international trucking company today, but roads are still very bad as always, in general terms we can state that for distances below 1500 km we use truck, above 1500 km we use rail, but eg Novorrsikk about 1800 km we still handle by truck.
We also faced problems with LT drivers, about 10 months ago the president of LT made Russian unfriendly remarks, so no LT truck were allowed any more, subject to special controls of trucks and evening opening of cargo.
Today this problem is finished for Polish and also LT truck who can drive beside KZ RUS BY trucks.
Fortunately, not more political or other problems with customs than before. But always more papers, more procedures in Railway, it takes a lot of time and it is expensive. Less corruption , if you can do thing officially it is ok, if you want to speed up , you need to pay.
FSVB = FEDERAL SECURITY BOARD ( former KGB )
- A new terminal is under construction in old military port of KRONSTAD
- Europe is still exporting via BY and via GEORGIA to RUSSIA
- Transport via inland waterways still required russian flagvessels, this market is charakterised by very old ships, sometimes even lacking navigability to call at western ports sometimes 40 y of age. Repairs are undertaken in North Germany (Rostock, Wiesmal) .
As to the positiion of Turkey, no fundemental changes occured in their market position, except for the shipments to Iran.