Dry bulk transportation discussed at Argus conference in Gelendzhik
The Argus Dry Bulk Transportation and Logistics 2019 conference was held at the Kempinski Grand Hotel in Gelendzhik, Russia on 25-26 September.
The event brought together more than 100 participants from around the world, including Russia, Latvia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, South Korea, the Netherlands and the UK. In addition to the conference, participants toured the new Oteko dry bulk transshipment complex at the port of Taman.
The Oteko group was the conference’s general partner, for the second consecutive year. The event was sponsored by PTC Holding.
Port infrastructure in the Azov and Black seas was discussed in the conference’s first session.
Morstroytechnology chief specialist Olga Gopkalo reviewed the development plans and prospects for offshore dry bulk terminals. Olga analysed the cargo flows from Russia and pointed out that dry bulk transshipments had grown by 2.3 times over the past 10 years.
The topic was continued by Alexander Gaganov, the head of Oteko’s bulk and grain business development unit. He gave a detailed account about the Taman dry bulk terminal and answered many questions asked by members of the audience. He said that the terminal could accept large vessels and ship large cargoes, providing Russian exporters with a unique opportunity to enter new markets.
A public discussion on transport infrastructure took place at the second session of the conference. Representatives of companies such as SUEK, Sibanthracite and Metalloinvest spoke. A number of issues relevant to the industry were raised. These included how to align the export plans of Russian cargo owners with the capabilities of overall transport infrastructure; how to assess supply and demand in the market for gondola cars and other types of rolling stock; whether it is necessary to implement the announced plans to expand the capacity of Russian ports for coal transshipment, and how realistic such plans are.
Conference participants were the first to get a glimpse of a new monthly publication, Argus Dry Bulk Logistics, which is dedicated to the logistics of dry bulk and general cargoes in the FSU.
The outlook for the Russian and European coal market was discussed at the final session of the first day of the conference. Argus senior editor Sergey Sokolov presented a report about the impact of the global pricing environment on Russian coal exports. Representatives of Severstal, Evraz and others also spoke.
A tour of Oteko’s Taman dry bulk terminal was organised for the second day of the conference. Participants were shown storage facilities at the terminal, the railcar heating and unloading station, and hydraulic and other facilities at this world-class complex.
We thank all participants at the conference and look forward to seeing you at future Argus events.
