DUSHANBE, April 16, 2011, Asia-Plus — Tajikistan’s Ministry of Transport (MoT) has conducted negotiations with Ukrzaliznytsia (Ukrainian Railways) over favorable tariffs for transit of Tajikistan-bound alumina.
The MoT international cooperation department head Farid Yoqubzoda says the negotiations took place in Kiev in the first half of April and Tajik delegation was led by Minister of Transport Nizom Hakimov.
“The purpose of the visit was for the Tajik delegation to discuss redirecting alumina shipments from southern ports of Russia and Georgia to the Ukrainian ports,” Yoqubzoda said.
The Tajik side expressed gratitude to Ukrzaliznytsia for one of the best conditions for shipping alumina arriving in Ukrainian ports from Brazil and Australia.
In the meantime, Ukrzaliznytsia reports that during the negotiations Sherali Kabirov, senior representative of the Tajik Aluminum Company (TALCO), asked to assist with setting loyal tariffs in the Ukrainian ports as well.
According to him, tariffs set by Ukrainian ports are higher than tariffs in the ports of Novorossiysk (Russia) and Poti (Georgia), through which the bulk of Tajikistan-bound alumina is shipped, Ukrzaliznytsia noted.
“Russian railway administration, however, agrees to grant tariff discount only for large volumes of alumina shipment – one million ton per year,” Kabirov was quoted as saying.
According to Ukrzaliznytsia, a joint letter to railway administrations participating in alumina shipments will be prepared in the near future. The letter addressed to rail companies of Russia and Uzbekistan will ask them to set a ‘partner’ tariff for alumina shipments, without any restrictions on the transit volumes.
