Approximately on August 26, the watermelons will be unloaded at NIBULON’s transshipment terminal in Kyiv region and will be supplied to distribution networks; the non-self-propelled vessel will be loaded with grain. According to the farmers, this year’s long spring has affected the terms of shipment. 
This year’s first batch is more than 400 tons of sweet berries produced by Pivdennyi Eksport Ltd. Among types of watermelons are: seedless Boston, Vohnyk, seeded Arashan, and others. Watermelons can be purchased in Silpo supermarkets of Fozzy Group (Kyiv).
“When we discussed this topic last year, we started resolving this problem and we have resolved it. This year, we have already passed the way. We are ready to work every day. We have determined what days we can load vessels. So the process is clear”, said NIBULON’s General Director Oleksiy Vadaturskyy.
According to him, the main peculiarity of this season should be the arrival of the first non-self-propelled vessel loaded with watermelons in Kyiv, Podil. But today, the company’s specialists do not consider this transportation option because of some economic reasons, since transportation from Pereiaslav to Kyiv is economically inappropriate; the cost of using water transport in this area will increase the selling price, as compared with road transport,
“We would have to pay for berthing facilities, to examine the depths to reach Kyiv, and to pay the river port for its services. It turned out that it is unproductive transportation for us. The cost of transportation of a ton of watermelons would attain UAH 1.70 per kilo, which would significantly affect the cost of watermelons themselves. Therefore, we decided that the following way will be best possible way for us, for Kyiv residents, and for logistics in general. We give an opportunity to carry out loading and unloading operations at our terminals in Hola Prystan and Pereiaslav-Khmelnytslyi for free. And then watermelons are delivered to Kyiv by road transport. The cost of final delivery is UAH 0.87-0.90 per kilo. Why did we do it? Because on its return trip, we will load vessels with agricultural products and they will be loaded with goods in both directions.
Such a way of delivering vegetables and fruit from the south of Ukraine to the north significantly reduces losses and helps in expanding the markets for seasonal products. When watermelons are loaded in bulk, 10-13 % of them are mechanically damaged; packaging and transportation standards are not maintained. But the supply chain launched by NIBULON helps to solve most of these problems. It is also important that water in this case is a natural refrigerant. Watermelons are not overheated and are supplied to the retail chains in better condition inside and outside. Transportation of goods by water transport also saves our roads.
One of the initiators of transporting products grown by Kherson agricultural producers by water was Andrii Hordieiev, head of Kherson Regional State Administration. According to him, the logistics infrastructure created by NIBULON and the opportunity to transport Kherson melons, fruit and vegetables to the north of Ukraine, and even to Belarus, will become a sharp intake of breath for developing logistics on the Dnipro River. Andrii Hordieiev thanked Oleksiy Vadaturskyy for pushing a window on Europe in transportation and river logistics and stressed the need to support the development of shipbuilding and navigation in the country – those areas NIBULON has taken up developing,
“Through this the most popular berry, at least in Ukraine it is definitely the most popular one, and the most delicious one is from Kherson region, we call on to pay attention to the Dnipro River. We can revive navigation on the Dnipro River, we can remove huge traffic load from the highways, and we have to make the Dnipro River loaded with cargoes (from watermelons to any type of cargo). We are talking about the fact that it is necessary to make a water corridor to Belarus and we need support of navigation and shipbuilding in Ukraine. And then a vessel with watermelons will not be a miracle or something exclusive, but it will be a common practice”.
We would remind you that last year, at Kherson economic forum, NIBULON and governor of Vitebsk region signed a Memorandum on the revival of the Dnipro River in order to restore navigation up to Belarus and above. But according to Oleksiy Vadaturskyy, to date, nothing has changed. Ukraine does nothing to fulfill its obligations to the EU to maintain the depth of the navigable passage along the E-40 waterway from the mouth of the Dnipro River to Kyiv,
“On the waterway in Belarus there are areas with the depth of 70 cm instead of 2 m. We monitor these areas. But the idea itself remains on the agenda. In September, in Belarus, on the initiative of Kherson governor, a forum will take place. And I think it will be attended by representatives of the ministry, maybe by the minister or his deputies. This issue should be raised in order to make the waterway to Belarus”.
The demand for transportation of fruit and vegetables from the south to the north of Ukraine is enormous, but only if competitive conditions for the carrier compared to other modes of transport are created. In the future, NIBULON will consider the possibility of applying this logistics chain to other types of fruit and vegetables grown in fields of Kherson region.  There are regions in our country that do not grow or do not have ripe fruit or vegetables we have in abundance in the generous south. For example, residents of Poltava and Kharkiv residents would also like to be buyers of products grown by Kherson farmers.
“We are ready to do it. We have facilities – 10 terminals on the Dnipro River. We are ready to carry out loading and unloading operations at each terminal and to transport watermelons throughout Ukraine. Thanks to our terminal in Kremenchuk, we could provide Poltava and Kharkiv regions with watermelons”.
NIBULON’s General Director Oleksiy Vadaturskyy said that the company is ready to work every day performing as many trips as necessary. And apparently, a lot is needed because demand is enormous.
“When mass deliveries of products take place, the price should fall. But when non-self-propelled vessels bring watermelons from Kherson region, the price remains the same. Why?  Because everyone knows that a watermelon from the non-self-propelled vessel is of high quality, with quality certificate; it doesn’t contain nitrates; it’s delicious and sugary. Therefore, people are ready to pay for it. People are ready to pay for eating a real Kherson watermelon and they don’t afraid of giving it to children of any age”.
In addition, Kherson farmers sent a batch of melons, which are well-known for their lovers, along with watermelons to Kyiv for the first time,
“We have a certificate for melons. They are eaten in Scandinavia, Britain, and a bit in Germany. And these countries have very strict food safety requirements”, said Oleksandr Synenko, director of ¨Aleksandr A. Synenko¨ PC.
We would remind you that last year, the first non-self-propelled vessel loaded with 300 tons of delicious Kherson watermelons left the berth of NIBULON’s “Holoprystans’ka” branch and in 4 days it reached Kyiv region. The news unexpectedly exploded in the information media and became the top news of information agencies and social networks. The project was implemented with the support of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) as part of a pilot project “Creating an effective logistic chain of fruit and vegetables delivery”.