TRANSPORT INTELLECTUALS CONSTRUCTIVE DIALOGUE IN ODESSA
The VIIIth International Transport Exhibition and Conference on Sea, Rail, Road and River Transport, Infrastructure and Cargo Handling Equipment and Works “Inter-TRANSPORT” was held on the 10-12th of June 2009 at the Exhibition Complex of Odessa Port.
The Event is being organized under the support of Ministry of transport and Communications of Ukraine, the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Permanent International Secretariat (BSEC PERMIS) in accordance with the Conference of the BSEC countries Ministers’ of Transport Decision. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and Odessa Region State Administration are coordinating the Events. The Conference and Exhibition were held under the financial support of the European Union. The Conference co-organisers are the International Black and Asov Sea Ports Association (BASPA) and International Transport Academy (CIS).
To maximize the efficiency of space and time using for the participants of transport process for few years the Exhibition and Conference “Inter-TRANSPORT” have been included into the International Transport Week programme.
For the first time this year, simultaneously with the exhibition, the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions of Europe (CPMR) held a number of events in Odessa. 160 regions of Europe, presenting 190 million persons from 28 countries, work in CPMR. The CPMR delegation visited the exposition and had an official tour.
In the framework of the International Transport Week JSC PLASKE – Exhibitions Technologies Centre general international partner, traditionally organizes the International Freight Forwarder’s Day, which this year provided with the following issues for discussion: Multimodal transport in Black Sea Economic Cooperation region; Development of rail freight as part of multimodal transport between Asia and Europe; Unified consignment note CIM/SMGS and its usage as customs declaration and multimodal transport document; Piggyback train "Viking" and its future prospects; Future development of Tolyatti / Samara – Odessa / Illichivsk transport corridor; Improvement of standards in freight forwarding services; FIATA Vocational Training Centre for Eastern Europe.
Despite the global crisis, “International Freight Forwarder’s Day 2009” joined more than 150 participants from the 17 states – from the CIS, Europe, Middle East and Asia.
At the end of “International Freight Forwarder’s Day 2009” Polish Railways, Kazakhstan Railways and “PLASKE” JSC signed Protocol of Intentions aimed at search of new measures to restart “Silk Road” between Europe and Asia. (Details – at the web-site www.ffd2009.plaske.ua)
The VIIIth International transport conference «The Black Sea Area: Transport Complex Communications between Europe, Asia and other Continents» took place on the 11-12th of June. Traditionally Sponsors of the Conference are Private Enterprise Ukrtranscontainer and First Quantum Ports.
Ambassador, Head of the Delegation of the European Commission to Ukraine and Belarus José Manuel Pinto Teixeira participated in the opening of the VIIIth International Conference "The Black Sea Area: Transport Complex Communications between Europe, Asia and other Countries" with a welcome address to the Delegates. In the greeting he underlined that “The European Commission is proud to support the 8th International Transport Week, renewing its commitment to work with Ukraine to improve its transport systems”.
Afterwards the Ambassador attended the VIIIth Exhibition "INTER-Transport". During the tour around the exposition Mr. José Manuel Pinto Teixeira spoke to the Exhibitors - representatives of Odessa, Ilyichevsk, Yuzhniy, Nikolayev, Reni, Theodosia, Poti sea ports, Ukrtranscontainer, Gottwald Port Technologies, Damen Shipyards, Moebius Construction Ukraine, Shipping Company Ukrferry.
This year due to the holding of three specialized sessions such as “Trends in ports development”; “Container, Railroad, Ferry and Auto-ferry Transportations”; “Ports Hydro Technical Constructions Building, Reconstruction, Design and Technical Maintenance” interested specialists’ audience was attracted and involved into lively discussion.
For two days 24 reports on various the most urgent issues of transport infrastructure and transportation development made by international institutions, organizations and professional associations experts and specialists were being discussed.
In the framework of the VIIIth transport week as a development of the previous year success again SETREF (South-East European Transport Research Forum) specialized session was held. This time the session was dedicated to the urgent for many countries and for the water transport branch development theme "Maritime transport and port development in South-East Europe" SETREF members from Greece, Italy, Ukraine made their reports at the session and sent their thesis to be published in the Conference proceedings. The reports covered the topics of major international transport projects development, e. g. such as EAST MOTORWAYS OF THE SEA (TREDIT), EURIDICE, SMART-CM and others. The reports were listened by the Conference Delegates with an interest and caused the fruitful discussion on the possibilities of Ukraine involvement into such European projects.
123 delegates from Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Greece, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Hungary, France, Spain, Israel, Russia and Ukraine took part in the Conference.
Having discussed the reports, exchanged the opinions on key issues of the branch development the Conference Delegates approved the Appeal.
The VIIIth Exhibition “Inter-TRANSPORT” has become the key event of the transport week, the focus of all the attendees’ attention.
At the Exhibition
official opening ceremony the participants and guests were welcomed by Mr. Petr Khlytsov, Vice Chairman of Odessa Region State Administration, on behalf of the European Union – representative of the Delegation of the European Commission to Ukraine Ms. Jurate Joudsnukyte, by the Mr. Gennadiy Scvortsov, General Manager of Ilyichevsk Port, President of BASPA; Mr. Vladimir Ivanov, President of the Association UKRPORT, on behalf of SETREF – member of the SETREF Steering Committee, Vice-Rector of Odessa National Maritime University, Professor Michael Doubrovsky, Mr. Valentin Varvarenko, Director of the PE UKRTRANSCONTAINER; Mr. Artem Khachaturyan, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of JSC PLASKE, first vice-president of the International Transport Academy Mr. Victor Dosenko, Mr Sergey Melashchenko, Secretary General of the Black Sea International Shipowners’ Association.
Fifty companies from Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium took part in the Exhibition.
The Exhibition was attended by more than six hundred visitors (200 questionnaires were analysed). In accordance with the analyses the attendees and events participants were from the Great Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Turkey, Romania, Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, Kazakhstan and Ukraine. Among them there were general managers and CEOs 65%, managers – 15%, specialists – 20 %.
This year the visitors of the VIIIth International Exhibition on Sea, Rail, Road and River Transport, Infrastructure and Cargo Handling Equipment and Works “Inter-TRANSPORT” got acquainted with a number of the following trends.
Traditionally the major ports of Ukraine were presented such as Odessa, Ilyichevsk, Yuzhniy, Nikolayev and Reni. As always at the centre of the exposition there was PE Ukrtranscontainer and First Quantum Ports. “The Moorings of Komintern” demonstrated the bulk cargo handling complex construction process of development. For the first this year at the exposition there were Poti and Theodosia Sea Ports.
Port marine engineering is one of the most efficiently developing profiles of the Transport week “Inter-TRANSPORT”. Under the support of the Shipping Register of Ukraine, Odessa National Maritime University and Association UkrPort the exposition and programme were formed. A large scale of companies with a high level of port marine engineering works, equipment and technologies – the branch leaders have made presentations at their stands. Among the exhibitors there was Moebius Construction Ukraine. The list of the previous year participants was added with well-known German Company “Bauer Maschinen GmbH” and the international top of marine engineering contractors Jan De Nul Group (Belgium), with their innovation technologies and powerful equipment. The circle of Ukrainian exhibitors has also widened – the services were demonstrated by Corporation BBG, MinBud, Alkon Composite Company, Engineering Center Transzvuk. The Exhibitors also used the favorable opportunity to make their reports at the specialized Conference Sessions; dedicated to the transport week meeting of the Profile committee on Ports Hydrotechnical construction of the Association UkrPort has been active and interesting. As a whole due to all the events on the theme the interest to the port hydro technical infrastructure development and the existence of prospective opportunities has been demonstrated from the side of foreign and Ukrainian participants of this segment of marine transport industry.
The railroad transportations were demonstrated by Odessa Railroad and National Company “Kazakhstan Temir Zholy” Corporation.
The shipbuilding industry leader Damen Shipyards Gorinchem (the Netherlands) has shown at the exposition a wide range of auxiliary fleet vessels and broad range of services on the post delivery vessels technical support.
To the road carriers’ attention Trans Marine Service has shown the exposition of IVECO tracks.
Cargo handling equipment was demonstrated by BLN Handelsberatungs- und Consulting GmbH (Germany); Gottwald Port Technology (Germany); Association Zeus (Ukraine); Trans Service (Ukraine); Trans-Marine-Service (Ukraine); Universal Service Ukraine, MHM Group. For the first time at the exposition there was one of the most well-known Ukrainian manufacturers – Novokramatorsky Machinostroitelny Zavod.
For warehouses the companies Trans Service, Association Zeus have demonstrated equipment, cargo lifting and handling equipment.
The major carrier of Ukraine – Shipping Company UkrFerry has shown the opportunities in regular railferry, and also – tour services, in particular, sea cruises.
Transport-forwarding services were offered by JSC PLASKE, Cargo-partner and ABC Logistic.
In accordance with the exhibitors’ questionnaires analyses the aims of the participation were the following: to widen the distribution channels (72 %), to support the enterprise image and stimulate sales (68 %), to demonstrate new products (38 %), to analyse market (30,4 %) and to meet with the customers (41,8 %). Commercial results were evaluated in the following way: excellent – 19 %, good – 19 %, satisfactory – 49 %. The level of the Event organization was marked as good – 51 % and excellent – 49 %.
In the framework of the transport week there was a number of specialized events.
In Ilyichevsk on the 9th of June there was the meeting of the Black and Asov Sea Ports Association Board. Besides working questions the key directions of their discussions were the following: Sea motor ways network formation in the Black Sea area; ports cooperation in the intermodal transportation on the Black Sea development; ports functioning and development under the conditions of worldwide financial crisis.
At the Round table discussion “Problems of Protection and Legal Regulations of Foreign Investments in the Port Branch of Ukraine” in the report “Private owned terminal: land and other actual questions of project financing (foreign credit attraction)” the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine Resolution No 530 dated 17.04.2009 which defined the Order of auction on investors’ attraction by state owned enterprises. As a result the round table discussion participants have made a conclusion that after the auction the investor cannot be sure that the investment agreement will be conclude on the satisfactory for him terms. Thus such a procedure cannot be clear, cannot be a stimuli to attract foreign investments in Ukraine. The organizer was the Juridical Firm “International Legal Service”. Representatives of 25 companies took part in the discussion.
The organizer of the round table discussion-practicum “Freight forwarders’ responsibilities for the general container cargoes safety during handling in Ukraine” was also the Juridical Firm “International Legal Service”. Lively discussion of the 15 companies’ representatives mainly of all the chains involved in the transport process shows that they are ready not only to follow international business standards, but to make the local laws in this sphere universal.
Traditionally at the Exhibition the Meeting of Ukrainian Ports Association Committee “On Planning, Construction, Technical Maintenance of Hydro-technical, Coastal and Engineering Constructions” was held. Representatives of 30 companies from Ukraine, Belgium and the Netherlands took part in the Meeting.
The group of experts of the projects financed by EU took an active part in the work of the transport week. In the process of their work they have been studying all forms of state-private partnership, opportunities in Ukraine and analyzing their practical using.
The most active participation in the Conference & Exhibition preparation, work and covering was taken by the information partners: TV and Radio Company GLAS, journals “Ports of Ukraine” and “RZD-PARTNER”, weekly journal “Transport” and other specialized editions from Ukraine, Russia, Belarus and Finland.
The forum “Inter-TRANSPORT” slogan is “Dialogue. Trust. Action”.
In June in Odessa there has happened the successful DIALOGUE of transport intellectuals of the Black Sea Area, Europe and CIS. We believe that on the basis of such a DIALOGUE the TRUST has been strengthened. We invite you to discuss further ACTIONS in a year at the IXth International Exhibition and Conference “Inter-TRANSPORT” (June 2-4th 2010).
See you soon!
Organizing committee:
The Exhibition Technologies Center
Ukraine, 65014, Odessa
Sabansky lane, 1/3
Phone: +38 (048) 715-02-62
Fax: +38 (0482) 786-0-590
Project head: Nataliya Balayan
E-mail: nm@expo-odessa.com