Within his visit Petro Poroshenko participated in a solemn ceremony of keel-laying of three new tugs of 121 project, launching of NIBULON-6 tug and putting into operation of NIBULON-5 tug with symbolic breaking bottles of champagne over the hulls of the vessels.
Being Presidential Candidate, Petro Poroshenko visited the shipbuilding and repair yard “NIBULON” and became familiar with the tugs’ construction. “Recently, three months ago, we met at this very place. And I promised you that one of my first visits (as a president) would be to your company. Now NIBULON is a symbol of Ukraine, a symbol of revival of Ukraine, Ukrainian agriculture, labour people, Ukrainian engineering, shipbuilding”, noted President of Ukraine.
He also added that he, as an experienced shipbuilder, understood those difficulties shipbuilding companies of the country faced. But he also noted that NIBULON coped with these difficulties with dignity. “Recollect ruins that were here several years ago! And what has happened when a labour man got down to business. At present we have the revived production. Ukraine will also be revived”, said Petro Poroshenko.
It should be noted that today NIBULON is the only agrarian company that deals with the reviving of shipbuilding and navigation in Ukraine. At present the company’s own cargo and maneuverable fleet consists of 37 vessels, and last year the shipbuilding and repair yard “NIBULON”, being revived from ruins, joined NIBULON’s structure.
According to Petro Poroshenko, powerful industrial companies and revival of production facilities are a serious help to strengthen Ukraine’s positions in the international arena; first of all, when negotiating peaceful settlement of a war conflict. “In order to have strong positions during negotiations on peace, we must have strong Ukraine, strong production, and strong army. In such a way we will be able to protect Ukraine’s sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity”, thinks Petro Poroshenko.
On his side, he promised to support business that creates workplaces and revives production potential of the country, including at the international level. “Ukrainian authority will promote products of Ukrainian producers worldwide. And everyone who will stretch out his hand for corruption bribe, this hand will be cut off. This won’t happen again. There will be protection against taxmen, law enforcement officers, and others”, promised Petro Poroshenko.
According to him, new vessel launching is a symbol of a new country. “It is a very important event in life of the shipyard and crew of the vessel. This is a holiday and I am glad that we find the strength to do our business, to produce competitive products, to create workplaces, to pay taxes, to strengthen Ukraine in such difficult conditions”, summarized President.
In his turn, NIBULON’s General Director, Hero of Ukraine Oleksiy Vadaturskyy thanked President for participation in this solemn event. “Today we have three big events: putting into operation of the tug No.5, launching of the tug No.6 and construction beginning of new tugs of a completely new project. This makes it possible for our company to additionally transport more than 600 thousand tons by water transport this year alone. Highways and railways will be relieved. There will be the economy for Ukraine’s agrarian sector; there will be ecology. There will be workplaces; we have created more than 300 workplaces during reconstruction of our shipbuilding and repair yard”, informed O. Vadaturskyy.
According to him, the shipbuilding revival at NIBULON will enable to build more vessels to improve agrarian sector logistics and to strengthen shipbuilding potential of Ukrainian rivers in whole.
Launching of NIBULON-5 and NIBULON-6 tugs of POSS-115 project “was held on December 5, 2013, on the company’s birthday, having marked the beginning of the program to build vessels at its own shipbuilding and repair yard “NIBULON”. The tugs’ construction was the first shipyard’s orders.
It is symbolic that NIBULON’s shipbuilding program has started at the beginning of the Revolution of Dignity, when Ukraine “awoke as a new country which was ready to struggle for its future and to be acknowledged in the international society”, they say in the company. NIBULON’s example and its persistence in struggling for Ukraine’s future and indestructibility in reviving Ukrainian navigation will inspire our Motherland protectors in the east of Ukraine.
Construction of NIBULON’s own fleet at the shipbuilding and repair yard “NIBULON” is a part of the project implementation to revive river navigation. Due to the successful implementation of the investment program in 2014 navigation season, the company has already transported and shipped for export more that 1.3 million tons of grain cargoes, thus, reducing the volumes of inner cargo motor transportation and rail transportation (taking into consideration railcars deficiency) by Ukraine’s roads. On completion of the implementation of this program, the volume of cargo transportation along Ukraine’s waterways will comprise up to 3 million tons of grain crops annually, thus, allowing to daily (!) relieve more than 250 rail cars and to remove more than 600 heavy-load trucks from our roads. Putting into operation of NIBULON-5 and NIBULON-6 tugs of POSS-115 project will enable to additionally transport more than 600 thousand tons of agricultural commodities along the DniproRiver per marketing year, to relieve more than 8.3 thousand railcars and to remove more than 12.5 thousand heavy-load trucks from domestic roads. And putting into operation of three tugs of 121 project will allow to transport 200 thousand tons of products along the Southern BugRiver per marketing year, thus, allowing to remove 5 thousand heavy-load trucks from Mykolayiv city and roads of Mykolayiv region per day. Besides, this will allow to improve environmental conditions of Mykolayiv city.
NIBULON’s investment program implementation leads to Ukraine’s agrarian sector improvement annually. On its completion, Ukrainian agricultural producers will be able to obtain additional income at the level of USD 0.5 billion annually. “Domestic agrarians will have an opportunity to become entities of the international market, supplying agricultural commodities to NIBULON directly without agents and additional transport expenses”, they say at NIBULON. NIBULON also plans to revive navigation and passenger traffic along the Southern Bug and the DniproRivers. Construction of NIBULON own cargo fleet will contribute to it.
Despite difficulties our country faces, NIBULON is persistently moving to achieve its high goal: strengthening of Ukraine as a marine country by reviving shipbuilding.
Photos from the official web-site of President of Ukraine are used in the article www.president.gov.ua