Signing ceremony between “NIBULON” and SJV “Wadan Yards Okean” about taking effect of contracts for construction of non-propelled dry double-holded vessels of mixed navigation (river-sea) aimed to transport both general and bulk cargoes took place on April, 2 at 13.00 at the territory of the Transshipment Terminal of NIBULON.   This year “NIBULON” started the realization of new investment project considering the construction of seven elevators, total incapability of which comprises 250 000 tons and the creation of own fleet with deadweight of 108 000 tons, and the construction of tugboats. 24 barges of mixed (river-sea) navigation will be built on the Mykolayiv shipbuilding yard SJV “Wadan Yards Okean”. The total cost of the project is 150 Mio USD. The aim of the project is to revive the Dniper river as the thruway, to restore the sailing along the river and to transport grains through the waterway. This is a new and better era in the history of company’s development. We have learned how to grow wheat and sell it worldwide. The decision to use waterways, and consequently to revive maritime traffic along the Dniper river, was conditioned by the necessity of more efficient transportation of grains. The company announced a tender to execute a project of the main dimensions of the barges, taking into consideration the present river depth, sizes of sluices etc. Among eight companies “Torola Design Group” took the upper hand with their guaranties to fulfill all the liabilities and suggested a creative sluice-locks conception. The immensity of the construction can be judged from the following data: we going to use 23.5 thousand tons of special shipbuilding steel, which equals delivery with 350 railway wagons. This is enough to build two vessels like PANAMAX level (vessels of the maximum dimensions that can get to Mykolayiv ports). If to expand this amount of steel as if it were a single sheet it’s area would occupy 262 320 m2, i.e. 26 hectares or 37 soccer fields. To build a barge of all those iron sheets highly qualified, certified by Register of Ships, welders will weld 360 km of welding stitches. To secure required vessels stability we are going to weld 144 km of reinforcements beams. The length of one barge equals 90 m, and the total length of the “NIBULON caravan” is almost 3 km. The steel for construction will be supplied by Ukrainian steel producers from Donets’k and Lugans’k regions – Kramatorskyy and Alchevs’kyy metallurgical complexes and Azovstal. During a year 50% of the “Wadan Yards Okean” stuff will be engaged in barges construction. In the frameworks of the project we plan to build river terminals, barges, partially build and partially buy tug fleet of 14 river service and sea-going tugs. Structurally this is already a shipping company and 800 new work places. Barges and tugs that are going to be registered in Mykolayiv, will be built and used under the control of the Ship Register of Ukraine, under the flag of Ukraine. This project realization is going to restore the existence of Dniper transportation hub and is going to revive the Dniper as Ukrainian thruway. Planed volumes of grains shipping through the river waterway comprise 1 Mio tons per year. The existence of fleet will make container shipping available, whose potential makes up 18 thousand TEU. This kind of barges makes possible shipping along the Dniper and the Danube, as much as in the Black Sea and Caspian tideland. Our own fleet existence will make logistics cheaper, and will save a lot of money in comparison with truck and railway transportations, unclog a traffic arteries. First of all it plays into the hands of commodity producers in Cherkasy, Poltava, Dnipropetrovs’k, Kyiv and Zaporizhya regions. Purchasing prices in these regions will be drawn near the prices of Ukrainian marine ports. Commodity producers will be able to shrink transportation expenses, which is extremely important in the economic crisis.  The fact of the “NIBULON” stable work despite the financial crisis speaks for itself. The realization of the biggest investing project for 18 years of company’s existence is the best example of it. It’s also a pleasure to mention that the project ordered by Ukrainian customer is realized side by side with Ukrainian executors: planners, steel suppliers, shipbuilders. Unity is what will help us to overcome any financial storm. Only highly esteemed in financial circles company with solid financial position can allow to realize itself a project like this one. Big Ukrainian and foreign banks are among “NIBULON” partners: Ukreximbank, Indexbank, Brockbusinessbank, OTPBank, Ukrsotsbank, BNP Paribas, Fortis Bank, ING Bank, ABN Amro, Societte Generale, Natixis. Tight cooperation with these financial enterprises confirms the respectful position of “NIBULON”. General Director of “NIBULON”, The Hero of Ukraine Oleksiy Vadaturskyy expresses his gratitude for cooperation to the governor of Mykolayiv region Oleksiy Garkusha, governor of Cherkasy region – Oleksandr Cherevko, governor of Poltava region – Valeriy Asadchev, governor of Zhaporizhya region – Oleksandr Staruh, Mykolayiv major – Volodymyr Chaika and also to all regional, district and local councils. This investment project will allow engaging highly professional specialists to manage the river shipping process, which in its turn will help to establish positive image of Ukraine at the world grain market.   “NIBULON” is a national commodity producer, investor and grain trader. For 18 years we made a hard way from a relevantly small company to a company with wide net of branches, to be more precise there are 31 of them in ten regions of Ukraine: Vinnytsya, Lugans’k, Mykolayiv, Poltava, Kharkiv,  Khmel’nyts’kyy, Cherkasy, Sumy, Zhytomyr, Chernigiv regions. More then 25 000 land owners have entrusted “NIBULON” more then 70 000 ha of fertile land. According to the results of the last four marketing years “NIBULON” took the first places among Ukrainian grain traders and was awarded Diplomas of Merit of the Ministry of the agrarian policy in nomination “Grain Trader of the Year”. We are the only company in agricultural sector with vertically-integrated structure, which produces and exports grains by own forces, with its modern transshipment terminal in Mykolayiv.  The transshipment terminal was recognized the Best Buildings and Constructions built and put into operation in 2004 year in Ukraine” and receive the State Prize of Ukraine in the area of architecture in 2008. 54030, Mykolayiv city, Falyeyevs’ka Street,9-B tel.: +38 (0512) 37-23-44, 58-04-04, fax: +38 (0512) 58-04-05, 50-01-91 web-site: www.nibulon.com    e-mail: mail1@nibulon.com.ua