Ukrainian industrial company Interpipe is considering options for leasing (time charter) a second vessel for the Odessa – Persian Gulf ports route. This was stated by Oleksiy Yanovsky, the company's director of procurement and logistics, in his column on the GMK Center portal.
"A positive outcome and the experience we've accumulated indicate that a time charter is the right direction for optimizing sea shipments. Currently, the company has certain volumes of shipments to the Middle East, so we are preparing to lease a second vessel to operate on the Odessa – Persian Gulf ports route. We are currently working on forming and stabilizing a steady cargo flow and selecting potential candidate vessels for long-term lease," wrote the top manager.
Last year, Interpipe began operating a vessel for the first time in its history, leasing it on a time charter. This case proved successful for the company, not only from an economic perspective of transportation costs but also in terms of logistics management.
"Initially, we used it as a feeder, delivering pipes on the Odessa – Varna route. However, later the bulk carrier made several trips to Batumi, so we diversified the routes. Thus, potentially, the leased vessel could operate throughout the entire Black Sea basin," the column reads.
According to Oleksiy Yanovsky, the main argument for the decision to lease the vessel was the cost of transporting one ton of cargo.
"During the operation of the leased vessel, the savings for Interpipe on the Odessa – Varna route amounted to almost 30%. The time charter allowed us to stabilize the rhythm of deliveries and reduce operating costs (in man-hours)," he writes.
At the same time, the director of procurement and logistics informed that, in the near future, Interpipe will not be creating its own cargo fleet.
"This option has been calculated, and under certain conditions, it could be more effective than a time charter. However, in the near future, the company will not consider it. The problem with this case is increased liabilities and higher risks. Moreover, such a serious investment must be absolutely justified. The company currently does not see such stable maritime export flows that would justify the expenses of purchasing its own fleet," emphasized Oleksiy Yanovsky.
