In a significant development for the Ukrainian industrial group Interpipe, the company has begun operating a vessel on a time charter basis. This marks the first time Interpipe has engaged in such an arrangement, as revealed by the company’s Director of Procurement and Logistics, Oleksiy Yanovsky.
When asked whether Interpipe had considered developing its own fleet, including purchasing its own ships, Yanovsky responded that the company had not only considered but was already implementing the use of leased vessels instead of traditional chartering. However, the company does not find it practical to purchase its own transport vehicles. Instead, for the first time this year, Interpipe has leased a vessel for operations in the Black Sea.
While Yanovsky did not disclose the name or size of the vessel, he mentioned that it is currently conducting feeder services from Odessa to the port of Varna and also delivering products to the Georgian port of Poti. From there, the products are forwarded to clients in the CIS countries, including Central Asia.
Previously, Alexander Harkavyi, Director of the Railway Products Division at Interpipe, had discussed the difficulties of supplying products due to the war and changes in logistics for markets such as Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. The company was interested in restoring maritime connections with the port of Poti. Eugene Anikin, Head of Logistics at Interpipe, explained that this logistical scheme avoids transshipment during product delivery to clients in the South Caucasus and Central Asia, thus reducing the risk of product damage.
