The neighbours drop by for a visit!

They’re just a hop, skip and a jump away those folks from Vanino, the Eastern Russian port city sent a delegation of four to our shores this week, to look over the development plans for the container port and examine our present cargo handling facilities at Ridley Island. All part of a fact finding mission for the Russian port as it prepares to expand its potential on the other side of the Pacific ocean.

When they weren’t chatting with the Mayor or sitting down to a dinner with council members, the delegation spent time out at Ridley Island with particular attention paid to the Coal handling facility there, as it seems that Vanino has plans on the books for one of their own to be built over the next couple of years.

If you take a look at the port at the moment (go to Google earth and type in Vanino, Russia) the overhead shots show a fairly large development already in place, with lumber shipments, oil handling facilities and such dotting the foreshore. The Russian government apparently has plans to gradually turn Vanino into a large industrial and economic centre on the Pacific Ocean.

As the article from the Daily News below points out, there are quite a few similarities between the two locations, with much of the same industries in decline and new initiatives being sought out to improve the local economy. It all makes for interesting reading and sure makes our world seem just a little bit smaller some days.


RUSSIAN CITY LIKE RUPERT’S LONG-LOST TWIN
By Leanne Ritchie
The Daily News
Wednesday, June 21, 2006

If Prince Rupert had a twin city on the eastern Russian sea board, it could very well be Vanino.

During the part three days, a delegation from the port city has been touring Prince Rupert and its developing port facilities in order to see how Prince Rupert is handling the same type of development they are seeing across the Pacific.

“We heard so many things about the port and the new development that is going on,” said Bogdan Musyanovich, head of the Vanino District Municipality. “We are going through many of the same economic changes so we came to see with our own eyes what is going on.”

The delegation includes the mayor, deputy mayor, foreign economic counselor and secretary from the urban centre.

Prince Rupert Mayor Herb Pond said in many ways, the stories of the two towns are quite similar.

Vanino is a community of 40,000 people a rail head and with sea port that operates year-round he said.

“They are looking to expand their traditional industries of forestry and fishing and they are the less busy cousin to Vladivostok,” said Pond.

Vladivostok sits on the Russian-Chinese border, while Vanino is just slightly to the north, although also very close to the border.

In recent years, the importance of Port Vanino has been increasing due to the improvement of trade relations of Russia with the countries of the Asia-Pacific Region.

While Prince Rupert is developing a container handling facility to attract more international traffic, Vanino is also hoping to take on a larger role as an international port.

Trade moving through Vanino, like trade moving through Prince Rupert, has access to an under-utilized rail lin – The Baikal-Amur railroad, which crosses the whole of Siberia.

One of the advantages of the Baikal-Amur Railroad is that it allows for faster transportation of goods compared to the Trans-Siberian Railroad because the northern route is shorter and there are fewer rail junctions. This results in the decrease of the tie of transportation and costs incurred. Both railroads lead to Moscow and Berlin.

“In the same way Vancouver has become very congested, so has Vladivostok, so they are developing opportunities in Vanino,” said Pond.

“Their government and territorial lands are very supportive of development as the province of B. C. and Canada have been of Prince Rupert.”

Musyanovich said everything about their port operations has changed in recent years. Like Prince Rupert, Vanino is also being impacted by the needs of expanding economies in Asia. The port of Vanino will be building a coal terminal to meet the Asian demand and part of the trip to Prince Rupert included a trip to Ridley Terminals Inc.

They were quite impressed with our facilities on Ridley Island,” said Christopher Colussi, Prince Rupert Port Edward Economic Development.

In addition, Musyanovich said when development happens both cities will see changes to their social plans and programs. This was another topic of conversation on their tour.

“We are grateful to meet the mayor,” said Musyanovich, who had dinner with city council representatives last night.

“today, he’s the mayor of a neighbouring town but tomorrow he’s a big friend.

“The water of the Pacific Ocean will never divide us but bring us closer together.”

Pond said it’s been interesting to develop relationships not only with counterparts in Asia, but now also Russia.

:”It has been about expanding our horizons,” he said.