Belgorod-Dniester port has not been bought 11 times due to problems with the approach channel - head of the state enterprise

There are no complaints or claims against the single property complex of the state enterprise Belgorod-Dniester Sea Commercial Port (BDSCP) or the facilities that make up its structure. The only obstacle is the shallow approach channel.

According to Oksana Kiktenko, director of the Belgorod-Dniester Sea Commercial Port, the main reason why businesses are not interested in the property complex is the extremely negative condition of the property and facilities that remain in the state.

"The port is not for sale in the sense of the law, only the property of the state stevedoring company, whose operations directly depend on access to and the availability of strategically important state facilities, such as approach channels, berths and the bridge over the channel, is for sale," said the company's director.

According to her, today the approach canal has an actual depth of 1.9 meters, while the passport depth is 5.5 meters. For four years now, DBMTP has been negotiating with the state-owned Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority (USPA) and has been "fighting" to restore the necessary depths to allow for the resumption of shipping,

"In response to all our requests, USPA does not give any guarantees or deadlines for restoring the required depths, in violation of the law, since according to the Rules for the Technical Operation of Port Hydraulic Structures, by default, approach channels and port areas must be maintained within the dimensions set out in the passport," said Oksana Kiktenko.

Therefore, she suggests that the port should receive the canal as a concession.

According to its charter, the main activity of the state-owned enterprise Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi Commercial Sea Port is auxiliary water transport services. The company specializes in transshipment of timber cargo, mineral fertilizers, iron ore pellets, metal products, and grain cargo. Vessels can enter the port through the 1.5 km-long approach channel of the offshore part of the Dniester-Tsarhorod estuary and the 14.5 km-long Dniester-Liman part, with a depth of 3 meters (3.5-4.5 meters according to the passport).

The unified property complex is located on the territory of 64.4 hectares in Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi and Zatoka. The port also includes nine ships, four diesel locomotives, 18 portal cranes, 47 vehicles, etc.

Last week,the State Property Fund canceled the 11th auction for the sale of the Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi seaport. The starting price for this auction was UAH 88 million 986 thousand 246.

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