The watermelons will be unloaded at NIBULON’s transshipment terminal in Pereiaslav town (Kyiv region) and delivered to the trade networks; the vessel will then be loaded with grain. Sweet watermelons from the south of Ukraine can be bought in Silpo supermarkets (Fozzy Group). NIBULON fleet is transporting delicious watermelons to Kyiv for the fourth consecutive year. This delivery has started in 2017, when the company joined the “Creating an effective logistic chain of fruit and vegetables delivery” pilot project of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).Thus, NIBULON’s non-self-propelled vessel left the Holoprystanska berth for the first time for over 15 years with 300 tons of watermelons. This event was the top news item in information agencies and social networks; watermelons transported by barges were greatly in demand in the supermarkets.  In order to understand the advantages of transporting products by water transport, it is necessary to follow the entire logistics chain. The watermelons are carefully packaged in cardboard containers meeting the European standards, which are placed on platforms in trucks. The crane is loading platforms on bottom of the non-self-propelled vessel at the river terminal. NIBULON delivers undamaged products to the destination port by water according to schedule. The containers are unloaded by the crane and placed into the refrigerators straight away. These watermelons appear on the supermarket shelves in several hours. The delivery of fruit and vegetables from the south of Ukraine to the north by water transport considerably reduces product losses and helps to expand the sales market for seasonal products. When the watermelons are loaded in bulk, 10-13% of products are mechanically damaged as the packaging and transport standards are not maintained.  Please note that even this comparatively small amount of watermelons transported by water removes 15 trucks from Ukrainian highways. The watermelons will be delivered to Kyiv safely, and roads will be preserved. Due to its efficient logistics, NIBULON can make at least 50 trips of 1,000 tons each, which represents 50 thousand tons of various agricultural commodities per season that the company can redirect from Ukrainian roads to rivers, more efficient and environmentally friendly type of transport.This transportation is a social project, rather than profitable activity. NIBULON supports Kherson agrarians who grow fruit and vegetables. The vessel will transport watermelons downstream the Dnipro River. When it comes to the project to transport fruit and vegetables by inland waterways, it is absolutely unprofitable in comparison with other types of transport.  The seamen have to pay the excise tax on fuel, port dues, as well as payments for passing through the locks and raising movable bridges on the Dnipro. These payments make water transport uncompetitive with rail and road transport in terms of delivery speed. In his turn, NIBULON’s General Director Oleksiy Vadaturskyy considers that the transportation of fruit and vegetables as well as any other products by river in Ukraine must become a routine activity, rather than a nation-wide event. “Ukraine deserves to achieve high results in the river logistics development. The company makes a lot so that Ukraine may become a marine country, rather than a seaside state. NIBULON is a Ukrainian company which has built a modern fleet without any state support. The citizens in absolutely all settlements located along the Dnipro River (Dnipro, Kremenchuk, Cherkasy, and others) deserve to eat the most delicious watermelons from Kherson region.  It is necessary to create competitive conditions”, states Oleksiy Vadaturskyy.The delivery of fruit and vegetables from the south of Ukraine to the north by water transport is in great demand. Kherson region is a water gateway of Ukraine. The waterway that unites Ukraine and Belarus starts from the very Hola Prystan town. In some Ukrainian regions, it is impossible to grow some fruit and vegetables, or they cannot become fully ripe. The south of Ukraine is a perfect place to grow fruit and vegetables. NIBULON is the only Ukrainian company that has all the required capacities (13 river transshipment terminals, a modern fleet) to load, unload and deliver natural vegetables and fruit of good quality to other Ukrainian regions located on the Dnipro River. This can be achieved by reviving inland waterways and creating competitive conditions. The cooperation between market players and state authorities will promote the river transportation development.