On the 28th of August in Mykolayiv on shipbuilding yard “Wadan Yards Okean” there will be a solemn launching of three river-sea barges for NIBULON within the limits of investment project of the company to build its own fleet for transportation of agricultural production down Dnipro River.
Fleet construction is a key stage in realization of new investment project at the value of USD 150 mln. The project started in 2009 includes: construction of seven inland silos and river terminals, with total grain storage capacity nearly 300 000 tons (the first stage), during the second stage it will be doubled; construction of 24 barges of mixed (river-sea) navigation with deadweightof 108 000 tons and construction and purchasing of 14 sea and river tugboats.
Unfortunately except talks there are no concrete actions aimed to raise purchasing prices. Investment project of NIBULON will provide with fundamental solution of this problem. So along Dnipro River there will be built modern inland silos and river terminals which are not enough in Ukraine that takes the third place in the world after the USA and EU according to the level of export of agricultural production. It will allow transporting grain with the lowest transport expenses, handling it and purchasing at the moment of the best price opportunities.
Transportation by barges down the river will enable to deliver grain for shipment in ports with minimum expenses. If a vessel can not be loaded in port because of shallow depth, river-sea barge could be towed to finish loading in the sea.
Reduction of logistic expenses will tend Ukrainian agricultural producers to get true price for their work. It is not a secret that today logistic component of price in Ukraine is nearly 35-40%, and in economically developed countries – 12-16%. This difference in 20% is a part that agricultural producer does not get.
According to Oleksiy Vadaturskyy agrarians of involved in investment project regions ( Poltava, Cherkasy, Zaporizhzhya, Dnipropetrovs’k) and also of Kyiv, Kirovograd regions will have extra 50-70 UAH per ton. It should stimulate other agricultural producers and grain traders to improve their activity. As a result there will be demonopolization of the market. The last will follow NIBULON’s stability.
Concerning the investment project, General Director of NIBULON Oleksiy Vadaturskyy notes: During 18 years our company went through four crisis and namely: collapse of USSR and hyperinflation, financial crisis of 1998, elections in 2004, when world bank system restricted to appropriate funds to working in Ukraine legal entities; present world financial crisis. During each of these crises we started serious investment projects. The value of the project is USD 150 mln.  Part of them we got in credit due to our excellent credit history and stable financial situation. We work transparently andrun international audit works regularly. Fulfilling the requirements of auditors we win confidence. When for the first time I got credit from the World Bank, they told me: “Oleksiy Opanasovych you will always have good credit standing if you and your team work as Swiss chronometer”. In some years they added:”Sometimes Swiss watches do not work in such a good way and you work well-defined and are on a strong track.” When you hear such things from famous world bankers, you are proud of your professional team.
Still specialists are worried that during years if independence of Ukraine “workless” Dnipro River shallowed on one meter. The river to work with maximum performance we need to fulfil dredging operations. Otherwise barges will go half-full.
Dredging operations are cause of the state. But the experience of NIBULON shows that authorities and management of sea ports have their own opinion on the issue that, we think, affects their personal business interest. How to think in any other way if during several years Oleksiy Vadaturskyy could not obtain a permit for fulfilling dredging operations on leased lot (at his own expense!).
O. Vadaturskyy noted: “We will overcome a problem with dredging that can appear in the process of realization of the investment project. We work not due to help but overcome difficulties.”
Let us appeal to the history of building of own fleet. On the 6th of March 2009 NIBULON and “Wadan Yards Okean” signed 16 contracts on building of nonself-propelled barges. On the 2nd of April 2009 on the transshipment terminal of NIBULON in Mykolayiv there was a solemn ceremony of signing a Protocol about carrying into effect of contracts for construction.
In the middle of April the first trains with metal came to “Wadan Yards Okean”. At the same moment there was started the metal cutting for the first four barges that is a beginning of construction. 
Due to well-organized and coordinated work of all companies that are located in different places of the world on the 11th of August 2009 there was solemn launching of the first barge of NIBULON.
Main barges’ characteristics: Length – 90 m. Beam – 16 m. Depth moulded – 5, 20 m. Max draft – 3, 70 m. Deadweight – 4500 tons. Holds capacity – 5800 m3.
It should be noted that cooperation between NIBULON and Wadan Yards Okean gives unique for Ukraine results. Neither during independence of Ukraine nor during existence of USSR there was no case for such a short period of time to build such quantity of vessels. Nearly 50% of workers of shipbuilding yard and also subcontractors from other ship-repair yards of Ukraine are involved in project.
General Director of NIBULON Oleksiy Vadaturskyy thanks the Heads of Mykolayiv (Oleksiy Garkusha), Poltava (Valeriy Asadchev), Cherkasy (Oleksandr Cherevko), Zaporizhzhya (Oleksandr Starukh) State Administrations, Mayor of Mykolayiv city (Volodymyr Chaika) and others for their support in project realization. The project will make possible to create new workplaces, involve high professional specialists for transportation on the river and better image of Ukraine at the world grain market.