No ships to sail in our harbor
Port charges in Russian have always been complained about by shipowners. Russian Union of Shipowners (SOROSS) has sent a few letters to Ministry of Transport an Federal Antitrust Service calling for attention of executive authorities to high rates/tariffs unsupported by any reasonable calculations in Russian ocean ports. They are 35- 40% higher compared to neighbors.
The gist of shipowners’ claims is easy to explain. Their vessels call in foreign ports and are serviced at lower rates and better quality. Shipowners say, “If the service in our ports is compared to that overseas, it is fairly worse. Pilotage, towage, further stevedoring services are criticized by shipowners. However even the government cannot improve the situation. State entities providing those services are monopolistic”.