Ukraine hikes seaport charges

On the order of the Ukrainian Ministry of Transportation and Communication, Ukrainian seaport charges will be raised by 30 percent from January 1, 2007. Market experts believe that this increase in seaport charges will affect the country's steel exporters to a large degree, and may lead to a price rise for Ukrainian steel products in the international markets. One of the largest Ukrainian steel mills, Ilyich, has pointed out that this governmental decision will negatively affect the competitiveness of the domestic steel producers, which already face competition from Chinese-origin steel products in the world markets.