Magadan is planning to restore its fishing port
The restoration of the sea fishing port in Magadan was unanimously supported at a meeting held by the Governor of the Magadan Region, Sergei Nosov, with the heads of Far Eastern fisheries associations and unions, transport and logistics companies, executive authorities of the Far East, representatives of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation.
The Governor of the Magadan region noted that, within executing the instructions of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin on the development of port and logistics infrastructure and Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation Mikhail Mishustin, there was a concept for the restoration of the Magadan fishing port developed.
“In fulfilling these instructions, we have developed a concept for the creation of a center for integrated maintenance of fishing and transport fleet vessels in Nagayev Bay. We have already prepared the main design solutions. But first of all, we are to complete the work on clearing the water area – vessels are necessary to be lifted and disposed of. Such plan is carried out in Magadan for the first time in its history. We have prepared all the conditions for the implementation of this project and understand how to do it. We have support from the government in this matter,” Sergei Nosov said.
Andrei Tabolin, the Head of the Fisheries Department of the Magadan region, made a report.
“Taking into account the advantageous geographical location of the port of Magadan and the emphasis on the transshipment of goods in refrigerated containers, the complex will include facilities for the acceptance, transshipment, processing and storage of marine goods, as well as provide maintenance for small-size and coastal vessels, the creation of ship repair facilities, inter-voyage and seasonal maintenance,” Andrei Tabolin noted.
Fishing vessels in the Sea of Okhotsk will need less than a day's travel to reach the port in Magadan. It is a six-day journey to the ports of Primorye, and the forced downtime of ships on transshipment in the fishing area ranges from two to five days. Speaking about the transport and logistics chain for the delivery of catches to the central and western part of the country, transshipment of marine goods through the Magadan fishing port will become one more alternative option, apart from the ports of Primorye.
“The effect of the project is the development of coastal fishing, attracting shipowners from neighboring regions to the port, creating modern coastal processing plants and providing them with a constant supply of raw materials, organizing a new logistics platform, saturating the domestic market with marine goods. More than 450 new workplaces will be provided,” Andrei Tabolin said.
It is planned to build a system of hydraulic structures and engineering infrastructure for the reconstruction of the port. According to Andrei Tabolin, the fishing company “Mag-Si International” has already been included in the number of investors. The formation of a new logistics center also drew the attention of the largest transport company FESCO. It is planned to spend 4-5 years for design and construction work. At the moment, survey work is underway to prepare design and estimate documentation.
Andrei Tabolin singled out for attention the work done by the Government of the Magadan region to implement a large project, among which the most important part was the clearing of the port water area from sunken and abandoned ships that had posed a problem for navigation and the reconstruction of the mooring facilities of the fishing port.
Mikhail Kotov, President of the Magadan Association of Fishermen, stated the readiness of Magadan enterprises to implement their investment fisheries projects on the territory of the port. He noted that this will serve not only the development of the industry, but also the development of the region as a whole. It will contribute to return fisheries a leading role in the economy of Kolyma (Magadan region).
The heads of the largest industry associations of the country shared their opinion on the need to create conditions for the port maintenance of fishing vessels, located in the immediate vicinity of fishing areas. They stated their readiness to use the opportunities, given with the Magadan fishing port. In addition to this, they stressed the need to create alternative transport and logistics schemes and routes, the development of ship repair and support for the initiative of the Government of Magadan. For example, ones of the representatives were Alexei Buglak, President of the Pollock Catchers Association (PCA), Olga Bulkova, Chairman of the Union of Khabarovsk Fishing Cooperatives-Collective Farms “Krayrybakkolkhozsoyuz”, Georgy Martynov, the President of the Association of Fishing Enterprises of Primorye, and Pavel Kolotushkin, Vice President of the Association of Fishermen of the Sakhalin Region.
German Zverev, President of the non-profit organization “Russian Association of Fisheries Enterprises, Entrepreneurs and Exporters”, spoke on behalf of the fishing community. Having compared a current situation to the question posed more than half a century ago during a meeting of the Minister of Fisheries of the USSR Alexander Ishkov and the head of Kolyma in the 60s Sergei Shaidurov. Than question sounded like “Is a fishing port in Magadan necessary?” The answer was unequivocal – it is necessary. German Zverev pointed out the need to create new, modern logistics centers, one of which should be the Magadan Fishing Port. He noted that the association is ready to cooperate with the Government of the Magadan region to solve these problems.
Anatoly Shirokov, Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on Federal Structure, Regional Policy, Local Government and Northern Affairs, noted the strategic role of the development of port infrastructure in the Northern territories of the country.
Andrei Grechkin, General Director of Dalreftrans LLC, reported on the broad prospects for the operation of linear services of transport and logistics companies in the Fishing Port of Magadan.
Following the meeting, it was decided to recommend to the Government of the Magadan region to submit to the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin and the Government of the Russian Federation a report on the results of the meeting with the attachment of the final resolution on the unanimous support of the initiative of the regional government to restore the Magadan fishing port.