The construction of a deepwater berth at the NUTEP terminal in the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk will allow Russia to offer regular year-round ice-free calls for vessels up to 10,000 TEU for the first time.
The first piles have been driven for the new 341m quay after two years of planning and approvals, with completion scheduled for late 2018. The berth depth of 15.6m, compared with two berths of 12.3m today, will increase LOA (load line) to 320m from 270m.
Konstantin Kalugin, CCO of NUTEP , said: “ The new deepwater quay will alter the status quo on the Black Sea and change existing supply chain networks in the region. It will reduce both shipping and terminal costs for clients and increase delivery speed by 4-12 days for cargo headed for Russia. ”
A DeloPorts spokesman said that the NUTEP expansion project is an integral part of the company’s strategy to develop the stevedoring assets of the group. “ We are investing in our facilities to ensure we can continue to offer our customers exactly what they need: fast, reliable and cost-effective services.”
NUTEP, a subsidiary of DeloPorts and sister company to multimodal transport specialist Ruscon, is already the largest container terminal in the port but currently handles most deep-sea cargo via transshipment at Istanbul or Piraeus.
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