Magazines — RZD-Partner International — 4 (4) December-February 2005/2006
4 (4) December-February 2005/2006
BETWEEN EUROPE AND ASIA: The Mission of the state-run railway company Russian Railways (OAO RZD) is aimed at satisfying the transportation market, increasing efficiency and services quality and deep integration into Eurasian transport system. The international aspect of the latter target is becoming more and more significant day by day.CONTINENTAL BRIDGE: Russia reached its maximum volume of container transportation in the 1980ies. Then it amounted to 31 mln tons. Up to now there have been no results shown that could compare to or exceed this figure. This year some 19.5 mln tons are planned to be made. Surely, it won't break the record mentioned, but obviously the sector is getting closer and closer to it...
TRANSPORT ENGINEERING: FROM DUSK TILL DAWN: After the Soviet Union disintegration the Russian engineering industry had suffered a long stagnation, largely conditioned by the break-up of the economic interrelations system that used to exist between individual enterprises during the planned economy era. At the same time, the geography of the engineering industry that had been formed under the communist rule underwent no notable changes, which indicated the preserved potential of the industry that can become the sound basis for further progress.
Contents
EDITORIAL
EDITORIAL
Integration has already turned from just a political trend into a real market demand. If the transport sector of any country wishes to offer competitive service, there is no other way but to meet this clients' need. Russia, the CIS and the Baltic states are no exception. This explains numerous examples of new tandems created in these countries' markets by natives and foreigners.Between Europe and Asia
INTEGRATION INTO EURASIAN TRANSPORT SYSTEM
The Mission of the state-run railway company Russian Railways (OAO RZD) is aimed at satisfying the transportation market, increasing efficiency and services quality and deep integration into Eurasian transport system. The international aspect of the latter target is becoming more and more significant day by day.Russia-Germany: joint company for mutual advantage
INTEGRATION INTO EURASIAN TRANSPORT SYSTEM
On November 10, the Board of OAO RZD approved the launch of a company engaged in international freight transportation, in cooperation with the German company Railion Deutschland AG. This will be a logistic company called EurasiaRailLogistics CJSC (ERL). The target of this joint company is to increase the railway transportation share in the transport corridor "West-East", as well as the throughput between Russia, Germany and China, via the launch of competitive logistic services, popular among consignors.Travel from Germany to Russia and back
INTEGRATION INTO EURASIAN TRANSPORT SYSTEM
In 2006 OAO RZD and Deutsche Bahn AG are going to realize a new joint project in the passenger transportation sphere. It will be a modern comfortable tourist train Berlin - Kaliningrad -St.-Petersburg."Eurotransit 2005" brought Russiacloser to Europe
INTEGRATION INTO EURASIAN TRANSPORT SYSTEM
On November 20, the first block-train "Eurotransit 2005" arrived in Moscow, having covered the route Berlin-Warsaw-Minsk-Moscow in just 80 hours. This record was made thanks to intensive cooperation of railway and customs authorities of Russia, Germany, Poland and Belarus, who managed to unite for this project implementation. The major target of the new block train launch was an opportunityto re-rout a significant part of cargo flows following between Russia to Europefrom motor transport to railways.Road transport drives progress from Beijing to Brussels
INTEGRATION INTO EURASIAN TRANSPORT SYSTEM
With this slogan the international road race along the route "Beijing-Berlin-Brussels", aiming to connect China with the EU countries by means of effective freight road transport communication, finished in the capital of Belgium in the middle of October. Will the successfully completed project become a new transport bridgebetween Europe and Asia?Moving to integration
INTEGRATION INTO EURASIAN TRANSPORT SYSTEM
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General Director "Delo-Center" JSC |
Tariffs deregulation:only for independent competitors
TARIFFS
The major market attribute is known to be prices on goods and services independently set up by the seller and the customer. However, cargo transportation in Russia is still regulated by the state. This restrains the development of market relations and competition. Today some projects on tariffs deregulation for competitive segments are in hand, but, at the same time, they raise serious objections.Will it take Russia a year to join the WTO?
PROJECT AND INVESTMENT
According to the RF Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, until the end of 2006 Russia can resolve all the contradictions preventing its joining the World Trade Organization (the WTO). Since that time and till 2008, the country will experience "a period of transition", during which the state is to increase its basic industries' competitiveness, and to balance its tariffs on transport services with the other members of the WTO.Wheels of Ukrainian economy
CIS AND BALTIC STATES
On December 14, 2005 the State administration of railway transport of Ukraine - central controlling body of Ukrainian Railways (Ukrzaliznytsya) celebrates its 14th anniversary. Just a month before that, on November 11, by the Ukraine president's order, head of Ukrzaliznytsya - Zenko Aftanaziv resigned. He was the fifth head of the company and the fourth general director who had been working for the company less than 9 months. During this period, Ukraine changed eight Ministers of Transport. At present, 30-years old Viktor Bondar has taken the post and become the second head of the Ministry joining Transport and Communication sectors. Considering the fact that during the same period Ukraine changed 14 prime-ministers, it can be easily said that Ukrainian transport sector has undergone both the "transition period" of the state in general and a series of "smaller transition periods" connected with a certain "mobility" of the transport sector governing body.Free flight turned out to be a fall down
SPECIAL PROJECT: OIL AND GAS TRANSPORTATION
Russia can be called a world leader in oil production, considering the fact that the country's natural resources (in various estimations) comprise about one third of the world gas stock and some 9-13% of the oil stock. Nevertheless, the gains and capitals of the country's main producing companies are considerably less than those of their foreign counterparts. Experts believe that the main reason for this roots in the private capital being unripe and underdeveloped, as well as in excessive state regulation."Black gold" flowing away into pipe
SPECIAL PROJECT: OIL AND GAS TRANSPORTATION
Oil and oil products belong to high-tariff cargoes and are therefore a priority for the Russian transport industry enterprises. The gains from this cargo transportation in the recent few years allowed to stabilize the economy of the Russian railways, giving new impetus to the operation of the country's inner water transport enterprises that had remained unchanged from the Soviet era. But now the situation with bulked cargoes transportation has changed dramatically.Eastern Siberia - Pacific Ocean project iswaiting for investors.
SPECIAL PROJECT: OIL AND GAS TRANSPORTATION
The realization of the Eastern Siberia - Pacific Ocean pipeline, the beginning of which was planned for autumn 2005, is now delayed. The Ministry of Natural Resources suggested postponing the dates of the pipeline feasibility study agreement by its subdivisions. The Ministry is also against the pipeline endpoint location in the Perevoznaya Bay, which endangers the possibility to have the feasibility study agreed in its present form.Private Investors hesitate; gazprom still hopes.
SPECIAL PROJECT: OIL AND GAS TRANSPORTATION
In September, a Russian company Gazprom and a pool of German gas concerns signed a principal Agreement about North European pipeline construction.The Russia's decision to build a gas pipeline at the bottom of the Baltic Sea, bypassing the territory of Poland and the Baltic states, was the reason for the negative reaction of these countries' leaders, however, later they said, such a variant of a pipeline suits them.Continental bridge
SPECIAL PROJECT: CONTAINER TRANSPORTATION
Russia reached its maximum volume of container transportation in the 1980ies. Then it amounted to 31 mln tons. Up to now there have been no results shown that could compare to or exceed this figure. This year some 19.5 mln tons are planned to be made. Surely, it won't break the record mentioned, but obviously the sector is getting closer and closer to it...Hunt for Russian port container handling
SPECIAL PROJECT: CONTAINER TRANSPORTATION
Globally, the volume of container transportation grows by 8-10% annually. In Russia container turnover increases by over 20%. In 2003 the Russian port container terminals handled some 1.32 mln TEU, in 2004 this figure amounted to over 1.5 mln TEU. According to the experts of National Container Company, in the next ten years container turnover of the Russian sea ports could rise by 3.5 times, but this will require capacities and infrastructure equal to demand. What could Russia offer today and what is the potential of the country's port terminal business development?Consolidating advantages
CARRIER
In October, the Board of OAO RZD, in cooperation with New Forwarding Company OJSC, announced its intention to establish a new competitive company in the freight transportation market. The new company will specialize in profitable cargoes, such as oil and products, transportation. It is also planned that the company will carry the produce of ferrous metallurgy, iron ore and coal concentrate.Unique experience to solve any problems
CARRIER
MMK-Trans JSC, launched six years ago to provide complex service to the Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works, is today one of the most experienced operators owning a rolling stock park. In July 2005 (when the company's bonds were issued), MMK-Trans was the first company - a rolling stock operator - to enter the loan market. The Director General of MMK-Trans Yury Chmelev comments on the company's cooperation with OAO RZD and its plans for development.Sea Facade. Main entrance for the northern capital
PORT
In the framework of the project of a new passenger terminal construction on the Vasilyevsky Island in St.-Petersburg, the first dredging operations have started in the main navigating channel. According to plans, three berths for cruise liners will be put into operation in 2008."Estonian Railway Will Dispute the Railways Act,at the same time obeying it"
PORT
Eesti Raudtee (Estonian Railway or EVR) privatization is the first and the only example in the territory of the former Soviet Union of selling a strategically important asset to a private company and turning it into a private enterprise. Today Baltic Rail Services, of which Railroad Development Corporation (RDC) is a shareholder, owns 66 % of the shares of EVR. The Chairman of RDC Henry Posner III answers the questions of The RZD-Partner International.Transport engineering: from dusk till dawn
After the Soviet Union disintegration the Russian engineering industry had suffered a long stagnation, largely conditioned by the break-up of the economic interrelations system that used to exist between individual enterprises during the planned economy era. At the same time, the geography of the engineering industry that had been formed under the communist rule underwent no notable changes, which indicated the preserved potential of the industry that can become the sound basis for further progress.From Berlin to Novgorod without re-registration
CUSTOMS
The next year's coming introduction of a unified waybill for operating in the second Pan-European Transport Corridor Berlin-Warsaw-Brest-Minsk-Moscow-Nizhny Novgorod will allow to carry out transportation from the countries using the CIM (Convention on the Contract for International Carriage of Goods by Rail) waybill to the countries using the SMGS (Agreement on International Freight Communication) waybill and vice versa withoutre-registering transportation documents.National peculiarities of insurance
INSURANCE
As the international cooperation in the sphere of trade and the demand for transport services keep increasing, there also increases the topicality of various ways of securing the stability of the transportation process, insurance being part of it. Not waiting for Russia's global integration in the WTO, more and more foreign companies developing business ties with the country are eager to understand the peculiarities of the national insurance sector.
Towards a single European railway system
EXHIBITIONS AND SYMPOSIUMS
In its third year, CEE Rail 2005 became one of the industry's leading rail events, which attracted over 250 participants from almost all European states. The four-day discussion was dedicated to fundamental issues for the transport industry and the rail reform.Transport in January-September 2005
STATISTICS AND DOCUMENTS
In January-September 2005, the throughput of the Russian Federation transport sector was 3,461.9 bln t/km, including 1,265.8 bln t/km of the railway transport throughput, 146.3 bln t/km of the road haulage throughput, 47.7 bln t/km of the sea transport throughput, 69.5 bln t/km of the river transport throughput, 2 bln t/km of the air transport throughput, and 1,830.6 bln t/km of pipeline transport throughput.