This is a historical event not just for the region and Ukraine but for Europe; it was held at NIBULON shipbuilding and repair yard without celebrations with the participation of NIBULON’s shipbuilders who are devoted to their work. Due to the heavy workload, the shipyard is open on weekends. Representatives of the Polish delegation, who had come to Mykolaiv with a friendly visit, and Mykolaiv mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych learned about this event the day before and came to see the launching of the unique vessel.
Before launching the dredger, NIBULON’s General Director Oleksiy Vadaturskyy familiarized the guests with the capacities of the shipyard which is currently being modernized, namely with the metal warehouse with the area for metal cleaning and priming and metal processing workshop equipped with modern equipment of the world leading producers (Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany), the assembly and fabrication workshop and the warehouse of shipboard equipment that will be inaugurated in the near time.   
According to director of NIBULON shipbuilding and repair yard Dmytro Horbenko, the launched vessel is definitely unique. It has no analogues,
“In principle, it has no analogues… This is a self-propelled vessel that can work at depths of up to 15 meters – with a bucket, a milling cutter and a hydraulic hammer. That is, it is universal. Two self-propelled dredger pontoons are being constructed for it in Kherson. That is, it will be a high-capacity complex for dredging we have not in Ukraine. This is very important for our country. There was a very difficult preparatory part, because it was the first time for both the designers and for us. And as it turned out, it was the first time for our western suppliers too: we did not expect that they will have so many difficulties to manufacture this rather unique equipment the vessel is equipped with”.
So, it turned out that the EU was not ready to produce exclusive equipment for such a complex engineering vessel within the agreed time frame. There is nothing impossible for NIBULON. After intense negotiations we managed to find a common language with suppliers, so the vessel was launched with a delay of only 2 weeks.
“If we had built such a vessel, for example, in Romania, it would have taken at least 12 months to build it. And thousands of trips, negotiations, agreements, seeking compromises, etc. with the shipbuilding plants of Romania. We are architects of our own happiness”, said NIBULON’s General Director Oleksiy Vadaturskyy.
As director of NIBULON’s shipping company Oleksii Lalin said, MYKOLAIVETS will be capable of effective dredging on the Dnipro River,
“This unique vessel is a self-propelled dredger. Its main dimensions are as follows: length – 38 m, breadth – 12 m, and draught – 1.6 m. It is a vessel with a powerful engineering complex. It is equipped with an excavator with a hydraulic hammer that can crush rocks, as well as a hydraulic pump station, which can transfer 2,000 m3 of pulp per hour to a distance of 1.5 km .This vessel will allow us to deepen the Dnipro River, the Southern Buh River, as well as the water area of ports and terminals to the depths that are necessary for the effective operation of the fleet operating on our rivers and water areas”.
In addition, the vessel is built according to the highest European ecological standards: in accordance to MARPOL 73/78, Rules for Prevention of Pollution from Ships, and the State Sanitary Rules for Seagoing Ships of Ukraine.
MYKOLAIVETS will start experimental dredging on the Dnipro River, namely at the Dniprodzerzhynsk reservoir next month. Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Hroisman will also be invited.
“We have invited Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Hroisman to experimental dredging at the Dniprodzerzhynsk reservoir in mid-October. We will perform technical tests and, perhaps, will start technological dredging to dredge the Dnipro River by the spring spawning. With the participation of the state, its funds or without any participation of the state but next year we have to revive the waterway along the Dnipro River with the depth of 3.65 at all areas. Thus, we have to revive the passport depth Ukraine has declared about. Although, there is no such depth in practice”, added Oleksiy Vadaturskyy.
It should be noted that launching of this unique dredger is a kind of new page in the history of NIBULON’s shipyard. Thus, NIBULON’s shipyard is ready to build more complex orders in terms of engineering and design.
“Then it’s interesting to live when you build all the time something new, more modern and complicated. It interests me, the team, and everyone we work with. Then a positive image of the company’s great opportunities is formed, which can do the most complicated things on time, and not wait for one to simply bring, buy, hire the Chinese, Belgians or Danes to make something in Ukraine or for Ukraine. Therefore, today we launch this complex and high-tech vessel which will be universal for dredging at a depth of 15 meters and will be capable of crashing rocks at the same depth. There is no such a vessel in Ukraine, and those vessels that are hired today for dredging the port water area, including Pivdennyi, can’t perform such work. And we can”, said General Director of NIBULON.
At present the company’s fleet numbers 60 units. However, due to modernization of the shipyard and cooperation with the European Investment Bank, NIBULON has the opportunity to build up to 15 units of cargo fleet per year and increase its fleet up to 100 units in the following years. The next stage is construction of the next series of non-self-propelled vessels with a cargo capacity of 5 thousand tons each and a floating crane. The projects of the multipurpose seagoing tugs with the capacity of 3 500 hp have been ordered and are being designed. It is planned to build them in 2018/2019.
“Next year we plan to build a new series of non-self-propelled B5000 project vessels (cargo capacity – 5 thousand tons). Having studied the experience of America and Europe, through the Ministry of Infrastructure, we managed to design new non-self-propelled vessels with breadth of 17 meters, which is important when passing locks. Before that, we built vessels with breadth of 16 meters, because we needed a margin of distance on each side. We will begin to build the B5000 project vessels under new conditions, and the first section of such a vessel is behind me. Then we will proceed to the construction of tugs of 3 500 hp. They will be capable of piloting Panamax vessels along the canal, so as not to depend on stevedore companies, constant bidding and monopoly. In addition, we will begin construction of a crane vessel with cargo capacity of 10 thousand tons with two powerful cranes that can load Panamax at a speed of 20 thousand tons per day. On the road, without calling at Mykolaiv. So we have a very interesting line of vessels to build in the future. The construction of non-self-propelled vessels is already a passed stage for us. Now we will build sophisticated and modern vessels of different tonnage. And in the future we will build vessels up to 170 meters in length. We have announced that we will build 40 ships within four years, and we will do it”.
NIBULON independently started the development of an effective logistics system in Ukraine: the revival of rivers as transport arteries, their dredging, the construction of its modern fleet. So, last marketing year NIBULON´s shipping company transported about 2 million tons of cargoes along the Ukrainian waterways, having resulted in removal of more than 83 thousand trucks from the roads. NIBULON plans to increase the volume of river transportation to 4 million tons per year.
“We transported 2 million tons along the rivers over the past marketing year. This year we set the task to transport 3 million tons, and to increase transportation by water up to 4 million tons within two years. And I think that this is not the limit, since this is only grain transportation. And now we are signing very interesting contracts with the Belarusians and our metallurgical enterprises. We will begin to transport metal down the Dnipro River and ore up the Dnipro River soon. As you saw, this year we have transported an experimental batch of watermelons to Kiev. There is interest in this. In particular, the delegation from Belarus negotiates with suppliers, and I think that next year we will be transporting watermelons and other agricultural crops to Belarus. Thus, we plan to transport another million tons of non-grain cargo per year along the Dnipro River and other rivers”, said Oleksiy Vadaturskyy.
Unfortunately, the navigable routes in Ukraine decrease each year. Due to the lack of proper depth on the rivers, the vessels are forced to be underloaded. NIBULON practically fulfills the duties of the state, carrying out dredging of rivers at its own expense. Last year, due to the leader of the agrarian market of Ukraine navigation on the Southern Buh River was resumed.
The significance of this event for the whole Ukraine, as well as for the EU countries, was noted by the diplomat who was present at the event, the former Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland Krzysztof Stanowski,
“This is also a holiday for us. Poland understands that Ukraine is Europe. And the chance to create a path from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea is what everyone needs. Not only Ukraine needs this, but also Poland, Germany and the European Union do need this. This is one of the reasons the delegation from Lublin came to establish contacts not only with those cities that are close to Poland, but also with the cities of Central and Eastern Ukraine. After the occupation of the Crimea, we understand the role of Mykolaiv. We understand this role for maintaining communication with the sea, with the world, with Europe. Thank you again for the opportunity to attend this event”.
In turn, the city mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych stated that NIBULON´s shipyard is exemplary in Ukraine. Thanks to the company’s activities the shipbuilding and navigation are reviving, resulting in decrease in traffic loading,
“I am very glad that another vessel was launched at NIBULON shipbuilding and repair yard in Mykolaiv. At the plant which is exemplary in Ukraine. I witness the launching for the third time over the past six months. This once again shows that shipbuilding in Mykolaiv and Ukraine is reborn, the rivers are being revived. And we have to do everything to remove the load from the highways, so I support Oleksiy Vadaturskyy. It was necessary to do this earlier. At present, his company is engaged in dredging, construction of vessels, which means that Ukraine will become a European country soon, at least in terms of river navigation.
It should be noted that NIBULON shipbuilding and repair yard has completed the construction of the series of the non-self-propelled B2000 project vessels intended for operation on the Southern Buh River, and the 121M project tugs named after the famous Mykolaiv shipbuilders. In total, the company has launched seven vessels in 2017, and the shipyard has a hundred percent workload for the next two years.