PRISCO organizes bunkering in Southern Kuriles
YUZHNO-SAKHALINSK. March 22 (Interfax) - ISS PRISCO, part of the PRISCO corporation, has organized bunkering for vessels at Yuzhno-Kurilsk Port (Kunashir Island, Southern Kuriles).
The company plans bunkering for 10 to 15 vessels, including foreign vessels, per month at first, Yuri Sinev, the director of the PRISCO Sakhalin branch, told Interfax. "A year or two ago Russia introduced breaks on exports of finished petroleum products. So for foreign vessels coming from North America to Southeast Asia and back it is better and cheaper to obtain fuel at Russian ports rather than in South Korea or China. These vessels have started to enter Nakhodka Port in Primorye territory, but this is more of a diversion from the route for them. Southern Kuriles is a lesser diversion from the route for bunkering, that is why our company decided to organize this service for them," he said.
Another reason for the decision was the modernization of port infrastructure in the islands as part of the Kuriles federal target program.
"One such foreign vessel will pay our government $20,000 to $30,000 in port fees to anchor at a Russian port for bunkering," Sinev said.
ISS PRISCO plans to organize a range of port services for vessels at Yuzhno-Kurilsk, which will encourage development of companies in the Southern Kuriles, he said. "If local authorities accommodate us and vessels are serviced at the port it will mean not just bunkering but supplies of everything a vessel needs (water, food and so on), small vessel repairs and so on," Sinev said.
Thousands of ships, mostly bulk carriers and container ships, sail along the Kuril range from North America to Southeast Asia ad back. Bunkering services in the region will be in demand, he said. On average a ship is expected to buy from 1,000 to 4,000 tonnes of fuel.
Thus, Yuzhno-Kurilsk could become a major port base for servicing Russian and foreign ships.
ISS PRISCO has been organizing port services for around 10 years in Russia's Far East. There are a whole range of port services, such as organizing ship entry to port, assisting border and customs clearance procedures, loading and unloading cargo, ship provisions supply and pilotage services.