Belarus to restore river navigation with Ukraine
The Administration of the Seaports of Ukraine (USPA) and CJSC Beltopenergo signed a memorandum on the restoration of river navigation between Ukraine and Belarus. The matter concerns the construction by the Belarusian side of a river port in Nizhniye Zhary, in the Gomel region. The USPA, in turn, should consider the possibility of dredging on the navigable waterways of the Dnieper River.
Minsk expects that Belarus will be able to send cargoes to the river port along the new transport corridor, and deliver them to the states of the Black Sea basin by river-sea ships.
It is assumed that the bulk of the cargo turnover will be provided by the Mozyr Oil Refinery and Petrikovsky Ore Mining and Processing Plant located in the Gomel region, which is being built by Belaruskali.
As explained by the former Deputy Minister of Infrastructure, now Adviser to the Minister of Infrastructure of Ukraine Viktor Dovgan, the first stage of the construction of the port in Nizhni Zhary (Gomel region, Belarus) will begin simultaneously with the dredging of the Dnieper by the Ukrainian side.
“The first phase of construction of the port in Nizhniye Zhary will begin simultaneously with our dredging of the Dnieper to 2.65 m, the cost of the work is 80 million UAH. Plus (it is necessary - BC) the adoption of the law on inland water transport and the return of our investments in dredging due to transshipment in the port of Kherson, "Dovgan said.
According to preliminary calculations, Dovgan said, the transit flow of Ukraine will increase by 6-7 million tons of cargo (fertilizers, timber and oil products) within 3 years.
As reported, the idea of creating a new transport corridor for transporting goods along the Dnieper to the ports of the Black, Mediterranean and Caspian Seas has been considered by Minsk for several years. In April 2017, the presidents of Belarus and Ukraine supported the construction of the port and the restoration of full-fledged navigation on the river.