The delegation consisted of Rouslan Kats, the Political Counsellor at the Embassy, Colonel Robert Foster, the Defense Attaché, and Iryna Lavriv, the Ambassador’s assistant and interpreter. This meeting was interesting and priceless for both parties. The representatives of the Canadian delegation were really impressed by NIBULON, having familiarized themselves with the company’s facilities in Mykolaiv. The participants discussed areas of possible cooperation between Canada and Ukraine. Firstly, they visited NIBULON shipbuilding and repair yard, one of the few Ukrainian enterprises to construct complete vessels. The guests were told about its history and reconstruction, as well as its modernization plans. The delegation inspected the shipyard’s production capacities, in particular a metal cleaning and priming area with Rösler preservation line, a metal processing workshop, and an assembly fabrication workshop. The guests appreciated the operation of the modern shipbuilding equipment. The visitors also went on board NIBULON’s vessels, namely the NIBULON-10 tug (POSS-115 project) tug and the Nodari Chanturia tug (121M project). They inspected the deck equipment, high-capacity engines, and movable wheelhouses. The Ambassador of Canada highly appreciated comfortable conditions in the vessels’ living compartments. The Nodari Chanturia vessel demonstrated its operation by transporting the delegation to the Mykolaiv transshipment terminal. Visiting NIBULON’s main marine grain facility, the guests were told about the principles of its operation and real achievements of creating the systems of purchase, grain processing and shipment on a river fleet, and others. The guests inspected the weighing station, as well as silos with a total capacity of 173 thousand tons. During the meeting, Oleksiy Vadaturskyy reminded about the fruitful cooperation between Canada and Ukraine, started by the company in 2003. The Еxport Development Canada agency with the assistance of the State Export-Import Bank of Ukraine provided financing of USD 1.1 million to build one of the two well-known grain storage domes built in compliance using modern French technology under the guidance of Domexpert, Inc. (Canada). Canada produced one of the shells for the grain storage domes. They are the world’s largest domes. NIBULON’s General Director thanked “Canada for supporting our country. You are real friends, Ukrainian friends. The company is always open for negotiations and new partnership relations.”At the end of the meeting, the Ambassador of Canada Larysa Galadza, on behalf of all guests, expressed support and thanked Oleksiy Vadaturskyy for a fruitful meeting; she invited NIBULON to visit shipyards in Canada,“It is very pleasant to meet you, Mr Oleksiy Vadaturskyy, and to see NIBULON with my own eyes. Everything we observe here proves your responsible attitude and serious approach. The company is a large taxpayer; you preserve the river environment; you work for the benefit of the community and the entire society. I thank you for your work and your fight for Ukraine. You are on the right path; we support you”.We would remind you that honorable guests from Canada have already visited NIBULON’s facilities. Each time the company has impressed its guests by its achievements and proved that Ukraine was a marine state which built its own vessels and developed inland waterways. In particular, in March 2016 and April 2019, Roman Waschuk, the Ex-Ambassador of Canada to Ukraine, visited NIBULON’s facilities.
