Ten years ago, NIBULON began to revive domestic shipbuilding and Ukrainian rivers. Since 2009, NIBULON has been implementing its investment project to revive the Dnipro and the Southern Buh Rivers as transport waterways of Ukraine. NIBULON gives a new impetus to navigation and changes Ukraine’s logistics map. But not alone. We have proved that the development of river navigation has great potential and it gives impetus to the development of shipbuilding, metallurgy, construction and the country’s economy as a whole. We have set an example for others and we continue to unite Ukrainian business and public behind a common goal – revival of efficient river transportation.This year, there have become more of us. The group of companies UkrAgroCom and Hermes-Trading announced the creation of its own fleet. To date, the group’s fleet consists of two tugs and four non-self-propelled vessels. The vessels already perform cargo trips reviving our main waterway – the Dnipro River. This is the first Ukrainian grain trading company which followed NIBULON’s lead and took up creating its fleet and organizing the transportation of agricultural commodities by rivers.The fleet of Hermes-Trading performed its next cargo trip to NIBULON’s transshipment terminal in Mykolaiv. It transported 7.7 thousand tons of corn from Svitlovodsk river terminal of the group to Mykolaiv. In the coming days, the grain will be shipped for export to Germany.The management of NIBULON’s shipping company headed by director Oleksii Lalin visited the group’s vessels that arrived in Mykolaiv. They congratulated the crew on the first cargo trip to NIBULON’s transshipment terminal and the upcoming holidays on behalf of the whole NIBULON’s team.Our company sincerely congratulates the group of companies UkrAgroCom and Hermes-Trading on this important initiative. Together we do a great job and together we change our country.We are pleased to see that today our partners are following the same path that we once went through. Having started the establishment of our shipping company with the purchase of used barges and tugs and having gained the first experience, we quickly came to the conclusion that it is necessary to build a fleet in Ukraine. Therefore, we pretty much hope that having the same experience you will move on to investments in the development of domestic shipbuilding, as we did.Our company successfully continues to actively build its fleet. Our goal is to build a fleet of 100 vessels in order to transport 4 million tons of grain per year by rivers. In the near future, the self- propelled dredger pontoons will be put into operation. They will work with the unique high-capacity Mykolaivets self-propelled dredger (SDS-15 project). At present, the company’s shipbuilding yard continues constructing the first 140-m vessel of the company – self-propelled vessel of the P-140 project with two cranes with cargo capacity of 13,400 m3 and productivity of 18,000 tons per day. Four POSS-115 project tugs will have been put into operation by the beginning of navigation season. Thus, NIBULON’s fleet is increased according to the company’s production program.  The fleet will consist of 80 vessels at the end of 2019. The revival of navigation is a very necessary and important impetus for the development of the Ukrainian economy. In the revival of the Ukrainian rivers we will find answers to most of the key problems: the stagnation of shipbuilding, plants, loss-making of both cargo and passenger water transportation in the country, the state of roads and many others. But besides the desire of business and public, the will of the state is necessary, in particular in the legislation. Therefore, NIBULON constantly stands for effective interaction between government and business in order to resolve them.Congratulating our partners UkrAgroCom and Hermes-Trading, we hope that you will also be decent shipowners who bunker their fleet in Ukraine's inland waters paying the excise tax to the Ukrainian budget. When transporting products along the Dnipro River, you will pay for locking through the Dnipro Cascade and for raise of movable bridges, rental payment for water use. Having experienced this way and gaining your own experience, you will realize that the river fleet in Ukraine will be uncompetitive and the vessels will not be constructed without:- exemption from excise tax on fuel or compensation of part of the fuel cost in the amount of the excise tax to shipowners, which in turn complies with the international practice and will make bunkering behind the 12-mile zone inappropriate;- abolition of the payment for locking through the Dnipro Cascade and for raise of movable bridges;- exemption of shipowners from rental payment for water use;- introduction of compensation from the State Budget of Ukraine to the first owner of a vessel of the part of the initial value of the vessel built in Ukraine and (or) part of the percentage of the bank interest rate on bank loans, loans from international financial organizations for the construction of a vessel in Ukraine to stimulate the development of inland water transport;- exemption from customs duties on importation of goods and equipment for shipbuilding, ship repair, operation and modernization of vessels into the customs territory of Ukraine in order to stimulate the development of inland water transport and shipbuilding industry.