«Hutchison Ports» can give a new quality not only to the port «Chornomorsk», but also to the whole port industry of Ukraine. Volodymyr Omelyan, the Minister of Infrastructure of Ukraine stated the above during the meeting with the management of «Hutchison Ports»: Simon Mulett, Chief Financial Officer of the company and James Pettifer, the financial manager. The meeting was held on 19 July 2018 at the Ministry of Infrastructure of Ukraine.

Yuriy Lavrenyuk , the Deputy Minister of Infrastructure of Ukraine, Raivis Veckagans, the Head of the State Enterprise «Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority», Nadezhda Kaznacheeva, adviser to the Minister of Infrastructure, Sergiy Sechkin, Acting Director of the State Enterprise «Sea Trade Port «Chornomorsk», together with the heads of five trade unions of the port «Chornomorsk» were attended the meeting.

Volodymyr Omelyan emphasized that the attraction of the world companies to Ukraine is an opportunity to make quality transformations not only in infrastructure, but also in the economy of Ukraine: «Hutchison Ports is the largest port container operator in the world, a company that efficiently operates in 52 ports in 26 countries, processes more than 84 million feasibility studies per year. The establishment of working relations between Hutchison Ports and the port «Chornomorsk» first on the terms of berth lease with the subsequent prospect of concession will give modern working conditions for the employees, the newest technologies for handling cargo, attraction of the new traffic flows and the including of Ukraine into the World League of transit countries».

The head of the Ministry noted that the company guarantees the preservation of existing workplaces and creation of new one, as well as high social guarantees for each employee: «The accusations of mass lay-offs of people are speculations, the purpose of which is to disrupt the Hutchison Ports cooperation with Ukraine. Nothing humiliates a person more than when man is forced to work worse than man can. I am sure that «Hutchison Ports» can give a new quality to the port «Chornomorsk», port industry of Ukraine and Ukraine as a whole».  

Simon Moulette noted that «Hutchison Ports» guarantees the training and professional development of employees, and creation of new 250 workplaces in the port. He also emphasized that the company is open for the cooperation with all stakeholders.

The Minister of Infrastructure stressed that the competition for the rent of 1-6 berths in the port «Chornomorsk» should be carried out by the State Property Fund of Ukraine: «The company «Hutchison Ports» will participate in the competition on an equal basis with all other contenders. We hope that the competition will be transparent and fair.»