On July 17, on the Danube, the Ukrainian Sea Ports Administration (USPA) officially raised the Ukrainian flag on the USAID-provided pilot boat, symbolizing the boat is now fully operational. USAID’s Economic Resilience Activity (ERA) purchased the pilot boat for USPA to support seafaring operations in the Danube River transporting maritime pilots between land and inbound/outbound ships, impacting logistical efficiency of cargo and export processing.
Ukrainian Marine Shipbuilding (UMS) built the pilot boat in half a year. The vessel can carry 12 crew members and reach speeds of up to 22 knots. The boat is equipped with modern Swedish engines, it can autonomously stay on the water for up to 12 hours, and it even has a recreation area for the crew.
The USAID-provided pilot boat named Hennadii Zhuravkov, will replace the boat Orlyk, which was blown up by a mine in 2022. The USAID-provided pilot boat was named in honor of Captain 1st rank Hennadii Zhuravkov, who worked for more than 20 years at the Delta-Lotsman branch of USPA, holding the position of Head of Odesa Regional Department of the State Enterprise USPA.
Two more USAID-provided pilot boats are on the way to USPA and are currently under construction in Turkey.
Background: Assistance to agricultural producers and infrastructure companies is part of the Agriculture Resilience Initiative (AGRI) – Ukraine, implemented by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). It aims to help Ukraine increase its capacity to produce, store, transport, and export grain.