BELARUSIAN ECONOMY & TRADE

The company will be created in line with the national sea transportation programme. The minister noted, the issue had been under consideration for two years. This year will see the company’s organization created. After that the Belarusian sea shipping company will start buying basic assets.

Mikhail Borovoi informed, initially, the company will rent vessels manned by own crews. After that own vessels will be bought. “In two-three years we will be able to transport own cargoes by own vessels,” said the minister.

To create the company, they will have to pick a suitable anchorage. Klaipeda, Ventspils, Nikolayev are among possible candidates. The possibility of using Kaliningrad port is also probable.

The Belarusian Shipping Company and the Belarusian Transport Company will start regular cargo transportation by sea in 2005 to decrease the revenue share mediators have. At present non-residents handle around 10-15 million tons of Belarusian export cargoes.

09/03/2005

BELARUS and CROATIA TO SIGN AGREEMENT ON AUTOMOBILE TRANSPORTATION

(on the information from Interfax)

Belarus and Croatia will sign an intergovernmental agreement on international automobile transportation.

The press release of the Ministry of Transport and Communications says, the document will be signed on March 10 during the meeting of Minister of Transport and Communications of Belarus Mikhail Borovoi and Ambassador of Croatia to the Russian federation Bozo Kovacevic.

The agreement is vital for settling legal issues, connected with international automobile passenger and cargo transportation between Belarus and Croatia and the transit through the countries’ territories.

24/02/2005

Belarus tightens liability for passenger, freight traffic violations

MINSK, Feb 23 (Prime-Tass) -- Belarus’ Ministry of Transport and Communications tightens liability of carriers for violations of the rules of transportation of passengers and freights, First Deputy Transportation Minister Nikolai Verkhovets told a news conference Wednesday.

Ruling #76 of the Council of Ministers dated February 9, 2005 approves the list of violations of the law on licensing in the transport sector, which can lead to revocation of licenses.

“Passenger and freight transportation was launched in 2003, however, many companies, especially private ones, do not keep to the rules, which affects the safety of passengers,” Verkhovets said.

As of today, 21,900 economic entities have licenses for passenger and freight transportation by road, including 7,600 companies and 14,300 individuals.

In 2004 the transport inspection of the ministry carried out 3,269 checks of transport organizations, 24.8% above the target. As a result, 45 licenses were revoked, including 40 licenses for passenger transportation and five licenses for freight transportation.

15/02/2005

Belarus’ govt raises roadside service development targets

MINSK, Feb 15 (Prime-Tass) -- The Belarusian government has raised the roadside service development targets for 2005, with figures rising to 143 entities from 103, a government official told Prime-Tass Tuesday.

Belneftekhim state-owned oil and chemistry holding is to build six filling stations with a wide range of services, up from the original target of five stations. Also, the holding is to construct five gas filling stations.

The Trade Ministry is to open 25 fast food places along Belarus’ major motorways in 2005, up from the earlier target of 17 places; the Communication Ministry is to provide 24 public telephone stations along motorways, up from 14; and the Transport Ministry is to reconstruct 30 lay-bys, the original target being at 20.

Also, the Trade Ministry is to refit 44 shops along the key roads of the country, up from 38.

According to Belavtodor, a department with the Transport Ministry, there are 1,093 roadside service areas, including 488 fast food places, 342 filling stations, 105 service stations and 63 parking lots. End

13/02/2005

Belarus cuts customs duties on road trains imported before Jun ‘03

MINSK, Feb 11 (Prime-Tass) -- The Belarusian government has decided to transfer in the free trade mode the road trains for international transportation, which had been imported at a reduced import duty of 10% before May 26, 2003, according to ruling #129 of the Council of Ministers.

“Reduced customs duties will allow international carriers to keep their fleet. Otherwise, carriers would have to export the vehicles or pay a 50% customs duty when the temporary import term expired,” Belarus’ First Deputy Transportation Minister Nikolai Verkhovets said.

Vehicles imported after May 26, 2003 are subject to customs duty at 50% of the customs value.

Belarus’ Transport and Communication Ministry wants to increase the term of temporary import of carrier vehicles for international transportation to 34 months from the current 24 months to facilitate payments of the import duty.

According to the ministry, in 2004 Belarusian carriers have purchased 250 Belarus-made truck units for international transportation and about 700 foreign vehicles have been transferred from the mode of temporary imports to non-restricted use. End

New civil liability insurance may inflict losses on transport cos

MINSK, Feb 11 (Prime-Tass) -- In Belarus, the introduction of mandatory insurance of civil liability of transporter to passengers, which is applied to all means of transport starting January 1, 2005, will increase losses of transportation companies by 60% on the year to 17 billion Belarusian rubles, an official with the Transportation and Communication Ministry told Prime-Tass Friday.

“The launch of mandatory insurance will hike transportation cost and increase losses of companies that deal with passenger transportation,” the official said, adding that transportations tariffs are controlled by the government and do not cover companies’ expenses.

According to the ministry, losses of municipal transportation are to rise by 3.5 billion Belarusian rubles from 6.4 billion rubles in 2004. Losses of suburban transportation are expected to hike by 0.8 billion Belarusian rubles from 4 billion rubles in 2004.

To avoid losses of transportation companies, the ministry wants to increase transportation tariffs, cut insurance tariffs and introduce reduction factors if a company did not have any insured accidents in previous year.

As Prime-Tass reported earlier, in Belarus mandatory insurance of civil liability of transporter to passengers applies to all means of transport starting January 1, 2005, in line with ordinance #610 of Belarus’ President Alexander Lukashenko.

Currently mandatory civil liability insurance of transporters applies to automobile, air, water and rail transport except for foreign passenger transportation in Belarus, suburban transport, municipal transport, subway and inland water transport for tourists.

Insurance tariffs are set by the Belarusian government. They depend on the type and number of carrier vehicles used by the transporter, and passenger turnover. Insurance payments for health damage amount to 3,000 euros and for loss or damage or luggage 1,000 euros. End (2,169 Belarusian rubles – U.S. $1)

10/02/2005

Belarus wants unified weighing certificates for Russia, Belarus, Ukraine

MINSK, Feb 10 (Prime-Tass) -- Belarus hopes to launch in the first half of 2005 jointly with Russia and Ukraine the unified vehicle weighing certificate for the three countries, First Deputy Transport Minister Nikolai Verkhovets told reporters Thursday.

The administration of the Transport Ministry of Belarus considered the project and necessity to speed up the ratification of the agreement on the introduction of the international weighing certificate in the CIS with Chinghiz Izmailov, the Chairman of the CIS’ Coordinating Transport Meeting, Thursday.

“The CIS is interested is this project, however, the ratification procedure has not been coordinated. This is why we plan to launch the unified weighing certificate in Belarus, Russia and Ukraine to let the other CIS countries catch up with us,” Verkhovets said.

The new certificate will allow excluding additional formalities and reduce unwanted stoppage on the CIS countries’ borders.

CIS’ Coordinating Transport Meeting was established in 1991. End

04/02/2005

on QUOTA ON TRANSIT PERMITS FOR FOREIGN CARRIERS

(on the information from Interfax)

The government of Belarus has set the number of permits for the transit of foreign carriers via the Belarusian territory in 2005, Transport Minister Mikhail Borovoi informed on February 3.

He noted that the quota will not be published.

The exchange of permits with other states will be carried out on a parity basis. The permits will allow Belarusian carriers to perform trips on the territory of other states, while their overseas peers will be able to enter Belarus.

The distribution of quotas is regulated by interstate agreements in the sphere of international automobile transportation. Belarus has signed over 40 such agreements. The approval of quotas follows bilateral meetings, which address every problem pertinent to the passage of vehicles via the territories of both states, conditions of their movement.

Besides, joint commissions exchange quotas.

Starting 2005 the Council of Ministers will distribute the quota on permits for foreign carriers upon agreement with the president and on the basis of international agreements. Before 2005 the Transport Ministry fulfilled this function.

Belarus issues nearly 400,000 permits (bilateral, transit, to/from third countries) annually.

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