“For our company, the year 2018 was marked by high achievements and the beginning of new investment projects. We have become one more year closer to the goal – increase in the competitiveness of our state and the image of Ukraine in the world. In 2018, we had what to be proud of. We lived this year together with the whole country and we are very proud of this”, wrote NIBULON’s General Director Oleksiy Vadaturskyy on his Facebook page.Summing up the year, we traditionally recall the brightest moments and news that inspired Ukraine.1. Revolution in Ukrainian logistics. This year, NIBULON continued to actively implement its large-scale investment program to revive the Dnipro and the Southern Buh Rivers as the main transport waterways of Ukraine. Thanks to this, there is a real opportunity to redirect cargoes from the highways to water.In 2017/18 MY, NIBULON’s shipping company transported 2.5 million tons of cargoes by inland waterways of Ukraine, having removed more than 108,000 trucks from the roads. In the coming years, NIBULON plans to construct a fleet of 100 vessels in order to transport 4 million tons per year along the rivers.In addition, after a 25-year period of decline of the Southern Buh River, NIBULON has managed to revive navigation on this river. In spring 2018, Mykolaivets dredger, a high-capacity unique machine, performed another stage of dredging operations on the Southern Buh River. The company reached a new milestone, having transported the fist million tons of cargoes.2. Revival of the fashion for water transport. Due to our company, water transport has again become popular with passengers. During the 2018 season of passenger transportation, NIBULON transported about 24,000 passengers. Thousands of Ukrainians discovered the beauty of “Ukrainian Maldives” – the Kinburn Spit – and experienced the grandeur and potential of the Ukrainian rivers.This year, the company has launched passenger trips by the route Ochakiv – the Kinburn Spit, which was not possible last year due to a lack of certified and properly equipped berths. As always, NIBULON solved this problem on its own. The berth of 100 m was installed at Ochakiv beach by NIBULON’s specialists with the help of the company’s fleet and diving service.3. Transportation of new types of cargoes. NIBULON is not only famous for grain. NIBULON’s shipping company transports not only grain but also other cargoes, such as Kherson watermelons and melons, metal, building materials (sand, piles, etc.), and coal.In November 2018, NIBULON’s fleet mastered transportation of bulky cargo, namely an iron ore roasting kiln. The fleet transported it from Kherson Sea Port to Poltava Ore Mining and Processing Plant (Horishni Plavni, Poltava region).During the operation of NIBULON’s shipping company, it has transported more than 12 million tons of cargoes and thus has removed more than 500,000 trucks from the Ukrainian roads.4. Revival of Ukrainian shipbuilding. In May 2018, NIBULON shipbuilding and repair yard became the heart of shipbuilding and development of navigation in Ukraine. This year’s opening of the international exhibition “Shipbuilding 2018” and the 16th specialized exhibition “Water Transport” took place with the participation of the President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko. On May 23-24, 2018, more than 3,000 persons, including ambassadors of the EU countries, heads of the leading international financial institutions and the government representatives, potential investors, and scientists visited the exhibitions. Representatives of more than 50 leading companies from 20 countries, including Belgium, Spain, Latvia, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Czech Republic, Sweden, and Ukraine participated and presented a wide range of technologies and equipment.5. The first 100-m vessel. On March 3, 2018, NIBULON launched the first 100-m vessel of the B5000 project from the reconstructed slipway of NIBULON shipbuilding and repair yard. This significantly increases the capacity of our fleet. Larger cargo capacity of vessels will allow the company to deliver larger batches of cargo from the transshipment terminals on the Dnipro River, as well as from the transshipment terminal in Mykolaiv to the outer roads, thereby increasing volumes of river transportation and transshipment.This launching inaugurated a new stage in the history of NIBULON shipbuilding and repair yard. Another stage of the shipyard renovation was finished, namely the reconstruction of the slipway that envisaged the construction of two additional launching ways. This enables the shipyard to construct complete vessels of 100 m long and perform their maintenance. At the time when the property of Mykolaiv Shipbuilding Yard “Lyman” was acquired in August 2012 and NIBULON shipbuilding and repair yard was created, it could only construct vessels of 70 m.6. The incredible water show. The multipurpose seagoing T3500 project tugs are the most modern vessels built at NIBULON shipbuilding and repair yard. These are the first vessels of this class that have been launched in Ukraine in 13 years. The tugs are intended to escort foreign seagoing vessels along the Buh-Dnipro-Lyman Canal, to perform mooring, to escort convoys of non-self-propelled vessels (from 2 to 4 units), and to escort convoys along the canals during freezing period in the navigable areas in the Dnipro River and the Black Sea. Thanks to two firefighting monitors, the vessel is capable of discharging water streams of 375 m3 per hour (length of water jet – 100 m). Due to this, it's capable of extinguishing fires both on vessels and ashore. Despite their harmonious lines and modern forms that are more likely to be seen on an elegant yacht, the T3500 project tug is equipped according to the highest technological standards.We have installed on it the equipment purchased from the world's leading manufacturers, namely from MTU (Germany), Rolls-Royce (Finland), Volvo-Penta (Sweden), etc. These are multipurpose ice-breaking tugs capable of operating during freezing period with ice thickness of up to 60 cm. Thanks to special rudder propellers, the tugs are very maneuverable. As a result of such universal characteristics, these tugs can tow vessels with a displacement of 50-70 thousand tons, thereby ensuring the safe and reliable escorting of vessels along the canals and mooring.In September 2018, on the occasion of the 229th anniversary of Mykolaiv, NIBULON presented Mykolaiv citizens with an incredible water show of the T3500 project tug. The show received a large number of positive comments and applause.7. Creating one of the best shipyards in Europe. NIBULON shipbuilding and repair yard is one of the few shipyards in Ukraine that constructs complete vessels. The modern Ukrainian fleet was born here. It launches a vessel almost every month.NIBULON is reconstructing and modernizing the existing capacities. Upon its completion, the shipyard will be the most state-of-the-art facility in Ukraine and, without doubt, one of the best shipyards in Europe. In 2018, the shipyard put into operation an assembly and fabrication workshop equipped with four radio-controlled overhead cranes with a capacity of 10 tons each and modern welding equipment. The next stage of the reconstruction envisages the construction of additional launching slipways, which will enable the shipyard to build 140-m vessels and perform maintenance of complete vessels of 140 m and over within the permitted technical norms. This is the length of a self-propelled vessel (P-140 project) with two cranes with a cargo capacity of 13,400 m3 and production capacity of 18,000 tons per day. This modern cargo vessel is being built at the company’s shipyard. It is planned to be launched in July 2019.NIBULON shipbuilding and repair yard reconstruction brings it to an absolutely new and higher level. NIBULON successfully continues modernizing the capacities of its shipyard. At present, the slipway is being reconstructed. Two new warehouses (insulation equipment warehouse and paints and varnishes warehouse) are put into operation, 8. Liebherr’s giant. In November 2018. NIBULON shipbuilding and repair yard received a new high-capacity crane from German company Liebherr-MCCTEC Rostock GmbH. The LPS 180  with a lifting capacity of 42 tons will be put into operation at the beginning of 2019. It will integrate the new assembly and fabrication workshop with the building berth.9. Increasing the transshipment terminal’s capacities in Mykolaiv.  In May 2018, NIBULON put into operation a new 43,000-ton elevator complex for shipment of grain and oilseeds as part of the transshipment terminal in Mykolaiv and the reconstructed berth of 222 m. Due to this, total capacity of the terminal’s silos was increased to 173 thousand tons. It allows the company to store 10 crops separately and simultaneously.The reconstruction of the cargo berth increased the length of the waterside at the transshipment terminal almost to 800 m. This enables the company to handle up to five vessels at a time, as well as increases the efficiency of the company’s own fleet built at its shipyard.As part of the engineering building reconstruction, we have increased our laboratory facilities. This will increase not only agricultural commodity receipts, but also improve the operational efficiency of the vehicles.10. Launching the construction during a live stream. On October 12, 2018, NIBULON’s General Director, Hero of Ukraine Oleksiy Vadaturskyy and Head of Zaporizhzhia Regional State Administration Kostiantyn Bryl started the construction of NIBULON’s new high-capacity transshipment terminal in Ternivka (Vilniansk district) in an original and unusual way – with the help of a live stream from the construction site during the 3rd International Forum for Integration and Cooperation “InCo Forum 2018”. The high-tech transshipment terminal will be put into operation in July 2019. The new terminal will provide jobs for about 120 people, reduce the expenses of agricultural producers in the region for transportation of products grown, as well as will pay more than UAH 2.7 million to the local budget annually due to taxes paid.Our transshipment terminals are in demand among agricultural producers. Therefore, we continue developing our network of river transshipment terminals and complexes for receipt, storage and shipment of grain and oilseeds. In addition to the transshipment terminal in Ternivka, a similar terminal will be constructed in Dnipropetrovsk region in July 2019.This year, we have increased the capacities of “Kremenchuts’ka” branch. In addition, as part of the company’s logistics optimization, NIBULON put into operation a filling station to serve its own fuel needs at the branch.Next year, the company will increase the capacities of five more transshipment terminals. In particular, NIBULON plans not only to increase a storage capacity of “Holoprystan’ska” branch to 20,000 tons, but also to increase its capacities for rice receipt. In 2018, NIBULON helped Kherson rice producers to dry, clean and prepare rice. This situation inspired the management of NIBULON to do its best to ensure more active development of rice production in Kherson region. And NIBULON plans to implement this next year.11. NIBULON invested USD 8.6 million in its agricultural machinery. In 2018, NIBULON’s agricultural machinery fleet received almost one hundred units of new machinery, including twenty-two Belarusian MTZ 952.3 tractors, ten new John Deere and Case combines, six Tiger-Mate II cultivators, three Kinze 3000 seeding machines, ten Fendt 1038 VARIO tractors, one Lemken Rubin 9-600 disc harrow, two Lemken Rubin 10S800 disc harrows, seven Lemken Vari Diamant 11 ploughs, four Amazone Citan 12001 seed drills, three Great Plains 3S3000 seeding machines, seven STEP KM-6 field rollers, sixteen Dominioni sunflower and corn reaping machines, and four Geringhoff HSII corn reaping machines. The main advantages of the new machinery are high capacity, minimal fuel consumption with maximum productivity, and improved comfort for machine operators.FENDT CEO Peter-Josef Paffen and Oleksiy Vadaturskyy12. Protecting global food security. It is a well-known fact that NIBULON has maintained its leadership among exporters of agricultural commodities in Ukraine for 10 years. We export our commodities to more than 70 countries.    At the end of 2017, in Cairo, Egypt – the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and NIBULON signed the Memorandum to focus on improving the efficiency of Egyptian companies involved in grain production, storage and transportation. As part of these agreements and with the support of the Egyptian leadership, a series of meetings and mutual visits took place between NIBULON’s representatives and leading experts of the Ministry of Supply and Internal Trade, Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Land Reclamation and other government agencies that are closely connected with these issues. Today, an organization council, established under the Egyptian Ministry of Supply and Trade of Egypt, and NIBULON’s working group are actively exchanging information on the opportunity of investing in Egypt. The company’s upcoming plans include additional visits by NIBULON’s specialists to Egypt to finalize the investment project, which will include the modernization of Egypt’s elevators, the construction of new ones, and the construction of a fleet at the country’s shipyards for grain transportation along the Nile River and its distributaries. Thus, we also plan to revive navigation on the Nile River. We know that we would not be such a successful company without support of our friends and partners. Our success begins with the success of each team member. Our victories are the achievements of everyone and thanks to the efficient and well-organized work of the company's specialists, successful cooperation with our international financial institutions of the world. We believe that our long-term cooperation with such leading financial institutions as the World Bank, IBRD, EIB, EBRD, IFC, ING, Credit Agricole will be an important stimulus to create new jobs, to develop navigation and shipbuilding, to reduce traffic load on the roads, to develop Ukraine’s economy, and to strengthen global food security.The EBRD delegation visited NIBULON’s facilities Meeting with Credit Agricole S.A. Meeting of NIBULON’s management with EIBING delegation visited NIBULON’s facilities in Mykolaiv Oleksiy Vadaturskyy and Head of IFC Representative Office in Ukraine Olena VoloshynaThe IFC delegation paid a working visit to NIBULON’s facilities We are only 27. And we believe that our most important deeds still ahead. We plan to have a very fruitful year. So there are plenty of truly positive and inspiring news about our achievements and amazing projects that we will definitely accomplish. So, the path of victory is not strewn with flowers, it is full of tests and obstacles that our company has already easily got used to overcome. To be successful is to be open to cooperation, to be grateful and to be ready to share your experience and knowledge with others.Along with the company’s achievements of the year 2018, we have also announced the purchase of Ochakiv fish canning plant and plan to construct a new complex project in the mouth of the Dnipro-Buh Estuary.We have spent 4 years to attain this goal.The implementation of this project gives us new opportunities to create a base for our fleet and to build a modern terminal, which will be the closest one to the Black Sea from the Dnipro and the Southern Buh Rivers. We are facing new challenges, in particular a completely new sector of fisheries (fish capture, processing and canning). And these are new jobs for the residents of Ochakiv and the region, the revival of glory of Ochakiv fish canning plant. So wait for new information presents from our company!