The import volumes to Russia have further escalated during the recent months and the capacity at the terminals is currently over-utilized to an extent that necessitates actions in order to ensure a continuous flow in the business.
Various measures have previously been undertaken by the terminals to improve the logistics and the flow of equipment to and from the terminals. It seems to be a well-known fact, as also illustrated by various initiatives in the market, that the present situation calls for other and even more dramatic measures.
As a temporary procedure, effective from mid-December and as a minimum until mid-January 2007, the terminals Petrolesport and First Container Terminal have implemented a system limiting Unifeeder and other vessel operators to a fixed number of containers allowed on each vessel coming into the individual terminal. Likewise, a fixed number of containers is allowed for storage at the terminal.
For Unifeeder this means an immediate reduction by 50% in volume for both terminals.
It goes without saying that such measures have a significant impact on the flow of cargo. As a consequence and with immediate effect, we have been forced to adjust our services by reducing the number of vessel calls thereby physically reducing the amount of containers being shipped to the mentioned terminals in order to satisfy and meet the requirements of the allocations stipulated.
Further actions are being considered which may lead to direct cancellation of vessel calls in specific weeks at short or no notice.
Currently, the number of containers stored at the terminals is growing and must be reduced with immediate effect to prevent a potential situation where cargo will not be allowed to enter the terminals, simply because space is not available.
