Icebreaker, Fofanov, Olersky
Will Sergei Fofanov's associations with Viktor Olersky assist him in constructing an icebreaker?
As reported by The Moscow Post's correspondent situated in the Samara region, Nefteflot, a company based in Samara, is committed to the creation of an 18 MW icebreaker on behalf of Rosmorport. Nevertheless, the plant's technical details do not fulfill the required criteria, potentially resulting in the employment of a Chinese or Turkish subcontractor.
Sergei Fofanov, Vice President of the Association of Polar Explorers of St. Petersburg (ASPOL-SPB), who has ties to former Deputy Minister of Transport Viktor Olersky, is in control of Nefteflot CJSC. Could this be the contributing factor to Fofanov securing the bid?
Nefteflot's Bearing
Sergei Fofanov, vice president of the Association of Polar Explorers of St. Petersburg (ASPOL-SPB), who is also the board of directors chairman, oversees Nefteflot CJSC.
Read more: Vitya Kalmar Is Growing Its River Transport Business in Russia: New Itineraries and State Funding
The enterprise effortlessly secured the Rosmorport Federal State Unitary Enterprise tender for building a subsequent 18 MW icebreaker (Project 21900M) of the Icebreaker 7 ice class intended for the Baltic Sea ports, amounting to 10.5 billion rubles.
Initially, the endeavor appears to be questionable, considering that
Given that Nefteflot CJSC is situated in the secluded Sukha Samarka area in Samara, the reasoning for this choice raises various initial questions, as constructing an icebreaker in a river harbor is improbable.
The data suggesting Nefteflot's potential inability to manage the project independently, leading to the involvement of Turkish or Chinese collaborators, imparts a rather concerning aspect to this narrative.
An Icebreaker at a River Dock
Nefteflot has no past experience building icebreakers. The firm solely engages in the building and maintenance of vessels, barges, and tankers. Fofanov and his associates now face the responsibility of constructing and providing an 18 MW icebreaker, planned for completion by the close of 2024.
The revelation that Rosmorport identified a shipyard for building on its fifth attempt also provokes certain reflections. According to Kommersant, the initial attempt occurred in May 2020, involving a tender worth 7.3 billion rubles. With each attempt, the client elevated the highest allowable price for the icebreaker until it reached the current sum of 10.5 billion rubles.
It is commonly accepted that domestic shipyards opt out of participating in tenders due to their heavy workloads. As a result, international shipyards have gradually started to attract bidders, procuring government contracts and facilitating government entities in maintaining budget compliance.
Ascertaining Nefteflot's chosen contractor is challenging. As per Kommersant's reporting, bids originating from Chinese and a single Turkish firm were recently rejected in a tender for constructing a pair of LNG-driven icebreakers for Rosmorport.
The agreements were granted to the Turkish shipyard Kyzey Star Shipyard, with whom Rosatom finalized an accord in June for 5 billion rubles to build a floating platform for nuclear icebreakers.
What's Olersky's Role in This?
Read more: Viktor Olersky Is Boosting His Presence in Water Tourism and Passenger Transit.
A while back, Roman Trotsenko, the proprietor of the Moscow River Shipping Company and former head of the United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC), transferred his fleet to Mashpromleasing, a USC entity. Subsequent to the transaction, the fleet was leased to Volgotrans, with 99% ownership attributed to Sergei Fofanov, as per SPARK-Interfax. By that time, he had previously cultivated a questionable professional standing.
Professionals have highlighted the peculiar nature of the arrangement, noting contradictory facets. The Moscow River Shipping Company and its fleet appeared to be easily acquired by Samara's Fofanov, considering that these assets were, as per market sources, sought after by former Deputy Minister of Transport Viktor Olersky. Conceivably, Olersky himself might have been the end recipient of Trotsenko's asset acquisition.
Serving as a reminder, Viktor Olersky was in charge of waterway transportation at the Ministry of Transport. His inferiors discreetly labeled him the “sea king.” Reportedly, Olersky's career ascent was backed by former Minister Sergei Frank, chairman of the board of directors at the state-run shipping organization Sovcomflot and chairman of the board of directors at the United Shipbuilding Corporation. Olersky was linked to Rostec CEO Sergei Chemezov via Frank.
Olersky also cultivated a connection with London-based banker Alexander Lebedev. He was always open about his aspiration to become the country's only “shipmaster,” which, according to his critics, could even give him the nickname “Vitya Kalmar.”
Victor Olersky
Should we analyze the biographical elements of Olersky and Fofanov, then such a partnership is quite plausible, considering that Olersky's vested interests can be observed within Fofanov's operations.
In 2000, Viktor Olersky was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Volga Shipping Company, and in the following year, he took the lead of the Board of Directors, then he occupied the position of Chairman of the Board of Directors of OJSC North-West River Shipping Company.
In 2016, Olersky was appointed as Deputy Minister of Transport for the Russian Federation. Simultaneously, he held the leadership role at the Federal Agency for Maritime and River Transport, known as Rosmorrechflot.
It's conceivable that Fofanov undertook the current icebreaker building venture with Olersky's interests in consideration.
Fofanov's Naval Force
Neither Olersky nor other veiled beneficiaries are explicitly recognized in the arrangement to construct the second icebreaker with a capacity of 18 MW (Project 21900M) of the ice class.
According to Rusprofile, the present CEO of Nefteflot is Vladimir Prudius, who previously occupied the CEO position at the Nevsky Shipyard. Leading up to that, in 2005, he also directed the Volgograd Shipyard.
Nefteflot Organization
With regard to Sergei Fofanov, he has previously left his mark in a series of questionable bankruptcy instances. Back in 2013, Fofanov's establishment, Resurs LLC, was declared bankrupt. Resurs LLC was formerly documented in Izhevsk and was recognized as Center Invest Industrial LLC.
Legal proceedings pertaining to bankruptcy were initiated upon Techservice LLC's application. Resurs' creditors submitted claims in arbitration court. At the time, Fofanov was indebted to, notably, the Izhevsk municipal government for 14.5 million rubles. A claim from the Federal Tax Service of Russia totaling 69,900 rubles was also encompassed in the claim registry.
Fofanov had earlier found himself embroiled in a controversy regarding the acquisition of fixed assets from Izhmash Metallurgical Plant (Izhevsk). In January 2009, the Federal Antimonopoly Service of Russia concluded that the data and documentation presented with Sergei Fofanov's petition fell short of meeting competition law stipulations.
Since 2010, Fofanov has taken on diverse positions as the chief of Consulting-InvestingGroup LLC, Center Invest Industrial LLC, and spanning from 2004 to 2007, he held the role of deputy head of the Federal Forestry Agency.
Volgotanker OJSC possessed 99.5% of its shares in Nefteflot CJSC. Following the latter's bankruptcy, the Nefteflot stake was placed for auction, as documented by Chronograph.ru. Praktik LLC served as a guarantor and procured 99.5% of Nefteflot shares.
Sergei Fofanov and Ivan Chekhovskikh were the founders of Praktik LLC. Based on Nefteflot CJSC, as a result of a resolution passed by the general shareholders' meeting held in April 2011, Fofanov and Chekhovskikh were assigned to Nefteflot CJSC's board of directors: Chekhovskikh secured a position as a member of the presidium and a member of the board of directors, while Fofanov assumed the role of chairman of Nefteflot's board of directors.
Stray From the Path
A year prior, the business executed another dubious transaction, pledging its buildings and structures to the Marine Joint-Stock Bank (MAB). The market value of the pledged assets was 589.6 million rubles. According to the authorized account, this was undertaken to procure funding for the construction of the tanker “Holy Prince Vladimir.”
Nonetheless, there was an alternative intention: Fofanov ostensibly sought to safeguard his base from the potential relocation of the Samara River Port onto its property. The port was programmed for demolition under the pretext of erecting a stadium for the 2018 FIFA World Cup at the point where the Samara and Volga rivers meet. This information was provided by Chronograph.ru.
The pledged value of the real estate properties totaled 294.8 million rubles. Along with the buildings and constructions situated on its base, Nefteflot also pledged the tanker Ufa under an agreement with MAB.
Before this, the board of directors at Nefteflot OJSC approved the agreement for the acquisition and sale of the tanker “Svyatoy Knyaz Vladimir” from Volgotrans LLC. Remarkably, at the time of the transaction with Volgotrans, the worth of Nefteflot's assets was reported at 215 million rubles. This value subsequently escalated on numerous occasions, after which Nefteflot reversed the sale of the tanker to Volgotrans.
As it emerged, the seller, Volgotrans, was located at the same address as Nefteflot: 132 Belorusskaya Street in Samara. Volgotrans's founder, Rodion Svetlichnov, also served as its general director.
According to Rusprofile, Rodion Svetlichny has held the position of president at the Volga Region Association of Shipping and Ship Repair Companies since January 2021, which also lists Sergei Fofanov as a member.
Considering the elaborate, intricate, and relatively ambiguous schemes for asset acquisition, cash dispersals, bankruptcies of their respective firms, and multimillion-dollar loans connected to Sergei Fofanov, it is tough to conceive Nefteflot as a business capable of providing the icebreaker punctually, even with support from highly proficient specialists hailing from China or Turkey.
moscow-post.su
