Odesa ends 10-year war for yacht club at the seaport

Another stage of a long-running court dispute over the lease of state property used by a local yacht club has come to an end in Odesa. This is a conflict that has been going on for more than ten years and concerns lease relations for facilities on the territory of the maritime station.

This was reported by the Center for Public Investigations.

It is known from the case file that a representative of TCF Marine Club LLC filed a petition demanding to oblige the regional office of the State Property Fund to submit a report on the execution of a court decision made in 2015. Back then, the court recognized the lease agreement as extended and ordered to transfer the property to the lessee under the relevant act.

The applicant argued that the decision had not been actually implemented: according to him, the necessary documents were missing, the property had not been appraised, no additional agreements had been signed, and all legal formalities had not been completed. He also asked to request documents confirming or refuting the execution of the court decision.

However, the court did not support these arguments. The case file states that on September 30, 2020, an act of acceptance and transfer of state real estate on the balance sheet of the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority was issued. It is a part of the complex of buildings of the seaport at 6 Prymorska Street, where the Odesa-2009 Yacht Club operates, which is the successor of the tenant.

The transferred property includes boathouses for yacht maintenance, office and office premises, a cabin, auxiliary facilities and infrastructure for storage and maintenance of vessels. This indicates that the yacht club actually uses a significant complex of maritime infrastructure, and is not just a formal tenant.

The court also noted that the enforcement proceedings were completed in 2020, and there are currently no open enforcement procedures. Accordingly, there are no grounds to request an additional report.

It was also emphasized that the requirements for a new valuation of the property or the conclusion of additional agreements were not considered during the initial trial and, therefore, are not binding under this decision.

As a result, the court dismissed the application, recognizing that the 2015 decision had been properly enforced and that there were no grounds for further review of this part of the dispute.

At the same time, in December last year, the court granted the application of Judge Serhiy Nikitenko to recuse himself from this case, which concerns a long-running conflict over the use of state property in the buildings of the Odesa seaport.

The lawsuit was filed by the Deputy Prosecutor of Odesa Region in the interests of the state and the regional office of the State Property Fund in Odesa and Mykolaiv regions against TCF Marine Club LLC, formerly known as Yacht Club Odesa-2009. The prosecutor's office demanded the recovery of debt for the use of the property, termination of the lease agreement and return of the facility to state ownership.

The total amount of the claim was UAH 1.4 million: over UAH 1.1 million for the principal debt and over UAH 276 thousand for the late payment penalty. The dispute concerned a part of the seaport building complex with an area of more than 2,000 square meters.

In November 2024, the court of first instance fully satisfied the prosecutor's claim. The company was ordered to pay the debt and penalties, terminate the lease agreement of September 20, 2005, and return the property to the state. In addition, the company was charged with the costs of litigation in all instances, which exceeded UAH 200 thousand.

Nevertheless, on December 11, 2025, the director of the Odesa Yacht Club re-applied to the court for a review of the decision. After reviewing the case file, the judge recused himself.

Анна Бальчінос