Kamchatka is solving the issue of uninterrupted fuel supply for small vessels involved in popular sea excursions. A meeting was held at the Kamchatka Development Corporation, where Vladimir Rusanov, Minister of Tourism of the Kamchatka Territory, and Anna Butkovskaya and Irina Sedova, organizers of boat trips, discussed the urgent problem of bunkering with representatives of business and regulatory authorities. The main concerns of shipowners whose boats and yachts are based in the Petropavlovsk Harbor port are related to whether the new gas station will be able to cope with peak loads during the peak tourist season.
The previous scheme of refueling ships with the help of tanker trucks entering the territory of the yacht port was discontinued at the request of the Environmental Prosecutor’s office. As Alexander Mylnikov, Director General of the Kamchatka Development Corporation, explained, this method did not meet the requirements of environmental and fire safety. In addition, there were questions about compliance with tax legislation and licensing rules on the part of private bunkering companies. A representative of the environmental prosecutor’s Office, who attended the meeting, confirmed the legality of these requirements.
As an alternative, TK Kit-Resurs has set up a stationary refueling station outside the yacht marina, on the southern shore of the harbor. Its representative Nikolay Pavlyuk said that the installed equipment and berthing facilities allow refueling several vessels at the same time. The length of the hoses is 30 meters, with the possibility of extension. At the time of the meeting, the price of diesel fuel was 88.9 rubles per liter. According to the station staff, refueling a vessel with a 600-liter tank, including mooring and installing booms to prevent spills, takes 25-30 minutes. Pavlyuk also noted that the station is mounted on a berth that has a permit to work with dangerous goods, which include fuel. During the high season, the company is ready to switch to round-the-clock operation and allocate an additional employee to help the crews.
Despite the presented characteristics, the shipowners expressed concern about the capacity of the new station. During the dialogue, Nikolay Pavlyuk sympathized with the tour operators’ proposal to develop a system of pre-orders for refueling or other convenient organizational schemes. The meeting participants agreed to constantly monitor the bunkering situation in order to prevent disruption of the summer tourist season. The shipowners also suggested that the Kamchatka Development Corporation organize additional negotiations with mobile gas station operators to discuss the conditions for their possible operation in the Petropavlovsk Harbor area within the framework of the law.
Alexander Mylnikov emphasized the Corporation’s willingness to engage in dialogue with all parties to create a competitive environment and simplify the bunkering process, bringing it closer to the convenience of refueling a car, but in strict compliance with the law. Konstantin Markov, General Director of Yachtenny Port LLC, supported the relevance of the issues raised. He noted that the concept of the Petropavlovsk Harbor yacht marina development implies the comprehensive and timely formation of all necessary infrastructure, including refueling. “We currently have 78 yachts and boats moored. TC Kit-Resource LLC expresses its readiness to ensure their timely refueling with high-quality fuel. But it is necessary to look to the future. The harbor’s water area allows for the future mooring of 220 small fleet units. And we invite representatives of the fuel market to integrate into the solution of the task of forming the infrastructure of the yacht port in their area of expertise, but exclusively within the framework of the existing legal framework,” Konstantin Markov said.