Kherson port  - ISPS level 1

The port position:  46°38'N, 32°37'E.

Restrictions: max loa 200 m;

Max draft 7,6 m fw.

Kherson port is situated 15.0 km from the mouth of the river Dnepr on its right bank and is approached by going up the fairway of the Rvach river, up the Dnepr's Olkhovy arm, and the Dnepr itself.

The port is navigable year-round.

Northerly and north-easterly winds prevail.

Wind speeds over 15 m/s occur in 10 % of the year, usually between November and March. Fogs are observed 19-60 days per year on an av­erage, and last 5-6 hours a day.

The Dneprovskiy estuary is declared a national reserve. Navigation is permitted only along its navigable arms. Navigation along the fairway leading into the port presents no big difficulties. In winter, when the Dnepr freezes over, vessels are led into the port by icebreakers.

Port Kherson's roadstead is in the Dnepr be­tween the upper roads for river-going vessels 1 km upstream from the elevator extremity of Maly Potemkin Island and the meridian of the eastern

Navigational Conditions

The port is open to vessels of any flag all year-round, and can admit vessels  up to 200 m in length and 7.6 m draft, in fw.

All navigation and maneuvers in the port are regulated by the Harbour Master; no vessel is allowed to enter or leave port, nor take up or change berth without the permission of SPCI..

Within port waters no ship, except hydrofoil vessels, may navigate at speeds over 6 knots.

When navigating port waters, vessels coming within 500 m of a backwaters 1, 2 and 3 must sound one continuous signal, intensify the watch, [ keep to the middle of the river, and pass the back­water exits with particular care, bearing in mind that at any moment a vessel may exit a backwater i   and cross the vessel's path.

Tug Assistance

The assistance of port tugs is compulsory for mooring operations; their number and capacity shall be determined by a port pilot in agreement with the vessel's Master.

A tug is called for via the port Operator on Duty. The towage of vessels with crews on board must be supervised by their masters.

Policy on Staying in Port

Handling of vessels in port shall be carried out un­der agreements made with cargo owners or their forwarders.

Cargo owners or their forwarders, in accord­ance with these contracts, must submit to Port Authorities the applications for handling the ves­sel no less than 6 days before this is to begin.

Vessels are not allowed to change its mooring place in the port without permission of the opera­tor on duty or SPCI inspector.

SPECIALIZATION

■            Transshipment of international and domestic cargoes.

■            Freight handling.

■            Packaging of bulk chemicals in 50 kg Euro-bags and bigbags.

■            Transport of international cargoes to ports of the Black Sea and to the Mediterranean by vessels of the port fleet.

■            Tug convoy.

■            Pilotage of vessels by icebreakers.

■            Quarrying and shipping of sand.

The port is designed to handle 5M t of cargo a year. The port handles general and dry-bulk car­goes: more than 40 % of cargoes handled in the port are mineral fertilizers and chemicals in bulk and in bales; about 40 % - grain. In the port they handle also all kinds of ferrous metal, pig iron in ingots, coke, ferrous alloys, timber, peat, etc.

In 2006 the port handled 2,848,7001 of car­go including 1,256,200 1 of cereals, 632,200 t of building materials and 430,4001 of fertilizers.

The grain terminal is situated here. It in­cludes a warehouse (cap. 20,000 t). Grain from railcars and motor vehicles is discharged into spe­cial bins, and then goes to the warehouse via the conveyor. A direct scheme of grain handling is also envisaged.

There is a special device to parcel fertilizers into 50 kg bags. The capacity of this device is 7501 per day. The bags are packed into soft containers, placing up to 21 of cargo.

Other bulk cargoes are packed in the port too, round timber is packaged, etc.

To store grain, fertilizers and other cargo, they use 11 vessels of DM type having carrying capacity of 1,000 t and 2 barges having carrying capacity of 2,4001.

PORT DEVELOPMENT

Capacities of the port allow handling over 4M t of cargo annually. Investment programs are required, so that this potential could be realized. The port closed a contract with the state institute of maritime transport CHERNOMORNIIPRO-EKT. In 2007 the elaboration of General Scheme of Kherson merchant sea port development will be completed. It envisages working-out and implementation of the five investment projects aiming at the development of port facilities on both Dnepr's river-banks. The issue of availability of EBRD credits is also considered. Given good will (it depends on Ukrainian transport ministry, regional and municipal administrations), Kherson Merchant Sea Port could get additional capacities to handle cargo on the left river-bank of the Dnepr.

According to plan for 2007 approved by the Ministry of Transport and Communications of Ukraine, the port has to handle 2.8M t of cargo. Dockers are aiming at clearing the height of 3 M t.

The profit realized will be invested by the port in modernization of basic production assets