Representatives from ministries, departments and diplomatic corps, powerful investors, local businessmen and others visited the forum.
The head of Regional State Administration Vadym Merikov opened the forum and familiarized the guests with investment attractiveness of the region. He told about cooperation between authority and business, having stressed that Mykolayiv region is open for new partners.
“Mykolayiv region is a unique region with powerful investment potential and wide opportunities for cooperation. Today we are presenting a catalogue of investment projects.  About 200 projects (at the cost of more than UAH 7 billion) are being implemented in different sectors.
In the difficult time for Ukraine, we managed not only to maintain peace but also keep positive tendencies in the region. This year Mykolayiv region has proved its status of the Ukrainian breadbasket. There have been threshed a record yield of grain crops – three million tons. NIBULON’s project to dredge the Southern Bug up to Voznesensk city and to revive river navigation is another positive moment. The local government is completely supports it”.
The Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine Oleksiy Pavlenko stressed that the region is extremely important not only in terms of logistics and agrarian industry, but also it is one of most investment attractive regions in Ukraine.
“I am impressed by some successful Mykolayiv companies, in particular by NIBULON that implements its investment project to revive the Dnipro and the Southern Bug, reopening them as transport waterways of Ukraine. The project consists of dredging and development of NIBULON’s own cargo fleet. Thus, Mykolayiv region has prospects to develop its port sector, thereby attracting investments and increasing workplaces.   
Thus, Mykolayiv region has all prerequisites to improve our export potential. Mykolayiv region is an important hub in the Ukrainian port logistics, and our sea gate will be open for the entire world”.
Ukraine, in particular Mykolayiv region, will demonstrate positive changes in case of cooperation among society, state and business, said Oleksiy Pavlenko.
There were presented projects to develop agricultural sector, logistics, energy and to improve cooperation between business and authorities. The organizers invited only the best local companies who are really ready to invest. Numerous international partners from Canada, China and France also visited the forum. At the same time several powerful investors have already informed on their projects.
Thus, as part of the panel discussion “Authority. Business. Investment”, NIBULON’s General Director Oleksiy Vadaturskyy paid attention to urgent problems on investments in the Ukrainian economy, having stressed that NIBULON will keep investing and make every effort to solve this important problem – the Southern Bug dredging. He said,
“The company plans to start dredging along the Southern Bug at its own expense till the end of October.  Today the state authorities do not make systematic steps to solve this issue. In case we ignore this problem, the river will become shallow, and it will be impossible for the vessels to navigate. And it is a great tragedy. We have addressed ourselves to the state structures with propositions, but we do not see any positive changes; thereby, we have to do it ourselves, because NIBULON is a company that invests in the future of the country”.
In addition, Oleksiy Vadaturskyy told participants about obstacles preventing the region’s development,
“Our region is attractive for investors, but at present there are a lot of unused possibilities. The society must see investments for the past year, as we have great prospects for it. Unfortunately, transparent private business in Ukraine is not financed. The ministers, Mykolayiv region governor, members of the Cabinet of Ministers should pay attention to this problem and initiate that the best countries in the world support the Ukrainian private business. Ukrainian business is flexible and can quickly implement its investment projects.
In addition, I am concerned that problems in the marine and economic sector are solved slowly, as this sector develops itself without any support. We have been asking to facilitate some unreasonable inspections of vessels along the Dnipro River. For example, vessels navigating from Mykolayiv to Kherson lose up to 7 hours at each trip, as they are inspected at both points. It is nonsense”.
NIBULON’s General Director presented the company’s investment project being implemented by NIBULON.
In particular, it includes the improvement of navigable conditions of the Southern Bug from Voznesensk to Mykolayiv. This will promote the revival of the river and strengthening of Ukraine as a marine state; the investment in the Southern Bug, the cost reduction of cargo carried by water transport; the reduction of traffic load on railway and highways; the reduction of anthropogenic impact on the environment, the creation of new workplaces and safe navigation ensuring.  NIBULON will start dredging at the end of October 2015, and the total length of the area will comprise 31.3 km. On completion of dredging at the cost of about UAH 100 million, the navigable pass will be increased up to 2.9 m (on the area Mykolayiv – Nova Odesa) and up to 2.65 m (on the area Nova Odesa – Voznesensk), and the navigable pass width – up to 40 m.
The development of NIBULON’s own cargo fleet is another component of the project, providing for the construction at NIBULON shipbuilding and repair yard a self-propelled floating crane, 7 non-self-propelled vessels of the NBL-91 and B2000 projects, 4 non-self-propelled vessels of the 90М project, two multipurpose sea tugs of 3,500 hp and 5,000 hp, crew boat and non-self-propelled crane with mobile grab loader.
In addition, NIBULON together with contractors have completed the first stage of construction of the transshipment terminal in Bilenke village of Zaporizhzhya region (cargo berth is constructed), at the end of October, NIBULON will start constructing the terminal in Buzke village (Voznesensk district, Mykolayiv region). The company plans to construct a super high-capacity elevator in Uman region of USD 15 million with the turnover of up to 200 thousand tons of grain crops per year. The elevator will serve regions.
It should be mentioned that guests and participants of the forum highly appreciated NIBULON’s investment project. They even had an opportunity to see NIBULON’s own fleet, in particular Pereiaslavskyi tug of the 121 project.
The forum’s participants shared information, communicated with each other, shared an experience in attracting investment, improving investment climate in Mykolayiv region and creating a positive image of the region and Ukraine as a whole.