Page 41 - Журнал Sozvezdye Review - «СОЗВЕЗДИЕ» #39

port capabilities, the Soviet Union was still able to
maintain the minimum required traffic, including
the container traffic. The capacity of the domestic
companies is not to be underestimated. Container
shipping is no moon landing, it can be helped by us-
ing the resources at hand – by refitting the existing
ships and working out new logistics schemes. There
will certainly be at least minimum transportation
service from domestic companies, although it will
be costlier, more challenging and slower,” said Ser-
gey Khestanov.
Sounds promising. But Mr. Khestanov doesn’t
seem to have any idea how challenging it is, and of-
ten economically inexpedient, to convert, say, a bulk
carrier or tanker into a container ship. It’s no use
converting the old small-capacity ships as the result
won’t be worth the effort and the money. As to larger
capacity bulk carriers, these are always busy, so dock-
ing them for an indefinite term to be retrofitted would
be least sensible option.
The advice from analyst Artem Bekasov sounds
more realistic. In his opinion, the solution to the chal-
lenges of the container traffic lies in starting prompt-
ly the negotiations with medium and small carriers
in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, Israel, Bra-
zil, Argentina, Venezuela, Turkey, Iran, Saudi Arabia,
UAE, Oman and Kuwait – to form new transport al-
liances, reshape supply chains, and distribute global
transportation orders through scenarios avoiding the
United States, Japan and the EU.
Along with that, work should be started urgently
to tackle our shortage of the merchant ships. These
include not only container vessels, but also RO/RO
ships, bulk carriers, ore freighters, timber carri-
ers and refrigerator ships. However, Artem Bekasov
doesn’t say exactly how this problem can be tackled.
The question as to whether the Russian shipyards
have technologies and competency to build, say, con-
tainer ships, remains open.
While experts recognize the shortage of domes-
tic merchant fleet as an issue of the greatest urgency,
only few agree to comment on it. While preparing
this article, the MV journalist sent a dozen requests
to companies, ministries and departments. Our in-
terviewees included, among others, the officials of the
Ministry of Transport, State Duma Transport Com-
mittee, Russian Chamber of Shipping, FESCO, SAS-
CO, and shipping veterans.
While the majority of those we managed to con-
tact have refused to comment without giving reason,
there were some who said they found the topic high-
ly relevant but refrained from commenting, saying it
would be morally wrong towards the current leaders
of the industry. There were also those who chose to
leave our queries unanswered. The one we filed with
the Ministry of Transport press service received a
confirmation of receipt with promise to prepare the
reply within the shortest term possible, which, how-
ever, never followed.
The only one who openly shared his opinion was
marine fleet veteran Vitaly Stefanovich Zbarashchen-
ko, who served as USSR Assistant Minister for Ma-
rine Fleet in the late ’80s.
A theorist of classic vintage with firm attitudes,
Vitaly Zbarashchenko reprimanded thoroughly his
country’s transport policy, blaming it for the loss of
the container fleet and not only that. According to
Vitaly, the solution lies in reviving the old-school
system where each basin had a state-owned shipping
company, as was the case in the USSR; urgent replen-
ishing of national merchant fleet; and establishing an
authority responsible for merchant fleet development
strategy.
To people who have lived most of their lives in
market economy, this scenario may sound hardly re-
alistic and, to be honest, unviable in today’s condi-
tions. But one thing is for sure: The state and market
actors will have to take steps in this regard.