Two Links of One Chain
30.11.2007 (18:02)
"We realized that the Vladivostok port and the Far Eastern Railway are different enterprises without but not closely connected parts of one powerful transport hub a long time ago. “Now it is obviously for us and for railwaymen that it is high time to get to a new stage of mutual relations development”, Operations Director of OJSC Vladivostok Commercial Sea Port (VMTP) Sergey Lopunov considers.
- Mr. Lopunov, could you characterize the current cooperation level of the Vladivostok Commercial Sea Port and OAO RZD?
- First of all it is necessary to mention that history of the Vladivostok Commercial Sea Port and the Far Eastern Railway concerned with Russia Far East development. Collectives of the enterprises consider 1897 as a starting point of their history when the railway traffic on the route Vladivostok - Khabarovsk was opened and the commercial port was founded. In October 2007 Vladivostok Commercial Sea Port celebrated the 110-th anniversary. As brother and sister, port and railroad carry out transportation processes together, resting upon business relation inside and outside Russia.
Transport process between the railway and port is strongly interconnected, we cannot operate without each other. For some decades of joint activity mutual relations have reached such a level, when all difficult problems are solved easily. Different types of transportation need the solution of certain questions. There was time when our port serviced a considerable quantity of coasting cargoes and we had difficulties in servicing wagons, but joint efforts with railwaymen helped to overcome these difficulties. Today due to the increase of rolling-stock owners number, their cars idle for days at the station waiting for the official documents to be registered. It creates problems for both - the station and the port, but first of all for clients. However, we find solution to the difficult problems working together.
- Could you characterize the level of development of railway approaches to the Vladivostok port? Are there carrying capacity reserves?
- I know that OAO RZD invests annually considerable sums into development and maintenance of railways of the Vladivostok Division of the Far Eastern Railway (Dalnevostochnaya Railway). However, the railway and the port face the problem of the city’s borders. The port and the Vladivostok railway station are bordered by housing estates from one side and the sea – from the other side. We haven’t an opportunity of territorial expansion, therefore it is necessary to create «dry ports - satellites» and the logistical centers out of the town.
Taking into consideration the fact that Vladivostok has a unique geographical position in relation to the “APR” countries and there is a real chance to increase the share of transit cargoes transported by the Trans-Siberian Railway to the European part of the continent, Vladivostok Commercial Sea Port offered the project of “dry port” - «the Southern Primorsky Terminal». The Head of the Far Eastern railway M.M.Zaychenko supported this project.
It is planned to construct a multimodal transport logistical terminal with the capacity of 13 million TEU. It will include 150 thousand transport units, the logistical centre with warehouses of A and B classes (200 thousand sq. m), large distributive railway station with the design capacity of 11,9 million tons, 14-kilometre duplicating motorway. The terminal will be situated at a distance of 40 kilometers away from Vladivostok. As a result, we expect to unload automobile and railway approaches to ports and bonder crossings of the south of the Far East, reduce rolling stock congestion on approaches to Vladivostok Commercial Sea Port, and also unload the port areas for dry cargoes transshipment. The Southern Primorsky Terminal will provide competitiveness of Primorye region transport system as a whole - navigation, ports, railway infrastructure and it will help to solve transport problems concerned with preparation of Vladivostok infrastructure for carrying out of APEC Summit in 2012.
- It is known that Vladivostok Commercial Sea Port and the Vladivostok branch of the Far Eastern railway plan to establish the joint company working on technology of dead end tracks. Could you tell about this project?
- As I told, we solve our common problems during joint coordinated work. Now we have to transfer to a new stage of cooperation development. It is obvious to me and director of Vladivostok branch of Far Eastern Railway V.A.Osipov. There are problems in all ports (a congestion of trains with exported cargoes on approaches to the port, lack of empty rolling stock for imported cargoes shipment). We offer to establish united operator working by a principle of dead end tracks. This operator will work for the port and the railway. We don’t know about ownership form of this new body. We discuss possible forms of work coordination of all participants of a railway constituent of the Vladivostok transport hub. And it is very important that our initiative is approved by the government at this stage.
- Various program documents of the Transport Ministry and the Primorsky region shows that Far East should become the large logistical centre on processing of container goods traffic. However it is known that the main part of cargoes is transported from APR by sea. Is it possible to transport part of this flow on the Trans-Siberian Railway?
- In my opinion, competitiveness of the transport corridor the East - the West via the Trans-Siberian railway depends on several factors: increase of transportation speed, cargoes safety, level of service, transportation cost, development of transport, logistical and information infrastructure. It is necessary to notice, that today the state bodies and business community realize the necessity of efforts consolidation to solve these questions. It is necessary to find common language to carry out elaborated solutions.
Interviewed by Ivan Denisenko