“After the victory, I will go to the liberated ports and the Crimea.” Interview with the head of the Shipping Administration Yevhenii Ignatenko

The State Service of Maritime and Inland Water Transport and Shipping of Ukraine has implemented a number of changes this year — from reforming the department itself to digitizing services for seafarers. USM spoke with the head of the Shipping Administration, Yevhenii Ignatenko, about structural changes, corruption in the industry, and the department’s future plans.

Background. Before becoming the head of the Shipping Administration, Yevheniem Ignatenko worked at “Nibulon” and “Grain-Transshipment”. Since November 2020, the official was elected a deputy of the Mykolaiv Regional Council of the 8th convocation, was the deputy head of the Servant of the People faction.

In April 2022, he joined the the Armed Forces. He served in the 59th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade named after Yakov Handziuk. He took part in military operations in the east and south of Ukraine, in particular in the liberation of Kherson. On December 7, 2022, Ignatenko was awarded the Order of Merit, III degree.

“Grain-Transshipment” company – how did it meet the war? Did you manage to save the team and capacity?

“Grain-Transshipment” is an important page in my life, but at the moment all attention is fully devoted to work at the Shipping Administration. Because the changes that we are trying to implement and fix are very important.

Do you not take any part in the company’s activities? Is it true that the management of “Grain-Transshipment” was terminated because of the position of the head of the Shipping Administration?

My participation in the activities of the company “Grain-Transshipment” ceased even before this appointment. For every person, there comes a moment when you realize that it’s time to move on and realize yourself in other areas.

And this is where the previous experience came in handy, because it makes it possible to solve a number of problematic issues that have long been overdue in the maritime industry and which still concern the maritime community. These are global changes that, I hope, will bring Ukraine to the appropriate level in the international arena.

How did the tasks and functions of the head of the Administration change due to the war? What goals does the Administration and you personally set for yourself in this position today?

I was appointed to the position of the head of the Shipping Administration already when the full-scale war on the territory of Ukraine had been going on for almost a year. Therefore, I cannot compare how the body and its leadership functioned in peacetime.

Our wartime activities are focused on those processes that we can establish here and now. In general, we are improving the regulatory part and working on improving services for the community. We are also concentrating on plans for the post-war recovery of the industry, so that on the day of Ukraine’s Victory over the invaders, we can immediately begin implementation — and for this we must have a clear plan.

What changes did you have to implement in the management of the Administration? Is the state structure easily amenable to changes and innovations?

The personnel potential of any structure is, first of all, people. So the first time in office I observed and analyzed; then strengthened the team of the Shipping Administration with specialists, in particular, those representatives of the community who know firsthand what the maritime industry is.

It is worth noting that the personnel potential decreased significantly during the war, a large part of the population went abroad or was involved in the private sector. Unfortunately, I do not see a great desire to join the work in a state body. Perhaps also due to the fact that public trust has been lost over many years. In turn, the team and I are doing everything possible so that the community changes its vector from “contradiction” to “recognition” and “pride”, in particular, as a result of the successful implementation of state policy by the Shipping Administration.

What services were implemented or updated when you started working in the Administration?

The administration performs the functions entrusted by the state. We are working on their quality and transparency.

The most anticipated change among the maritime community was the launch of a completely new State Qualification Commission for Seafarers, which began its work as part of the Shipping Administration. We are trying to put an end to the “schemes” that have firmly established themselves in the field of certification of Ukrainian sailors. In this matter, the most important are transparent procedures, such as online diploma services, which will very soon become possible for all seafarers.

However, there is a circle of “disinterested” people: these are those who try to stop the process of transparent certification of seafarers, in particular, through court proceedings. Law enforcement agencies, for their part, declare their support for changes in the field of graduation, and I would like their actions to match what they declare.

The second major direction is ship inspections. An action plan has already been developed regarding the establishment of transparent procedures in this area, and we are gradually proceeding to its implementation. I hope to enlist the support of maritime agents and port operators in this matter.

Among the things that have already been fully restarted is the system of confirming the qualifications of the drivers of small/undersized vessels and jet skis, as well as the issuance of an international certificate for the right to operate a pleasure boat. Users can already both exchange documents and receive new ones. According to the new procedure, the first exams using the computer-based testing system have already been completed.

We are trying to implement changes in all areas of the Administration’s activities, but it takes time – speed does not always mean quality. I would like to note that the team of the Minister of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine Oleksandr Kubrakov, and in particular his branch deputy Yurii Vaskov, are very supportive of the changes. Without this team, the community would have waited for changes for a very long time, so I believe that everything implemented is our joint victory.

I read your thoughts about the fact that monuments glorifying the Soviet Union and Russia are unacceptable in Ukraine. In your opinion, can ships in Ukraine bear old Soviet names or should we support the trend of de-Russification of ship names?

This is not a trend, but a necessity in modern conditions. I believe that de-Russification in ship names is a necessity for our country. Currently, we have positive dynamics, for example, the renaming of ships belonging to Ukrainian Danube Shipping PJSC.

I am sure that the changes will continue in the future. And we, in turn, will provide high-quality administrative services related to making changes to vessels.

Documents for seafarers through the “Diya” portal: at what stage is the implementation of this project currently? Who is helping you develop this feature? Will these documents be recognized by other countries?

Many more parties are involved in this issue together with us. This includes the Ministry of Development of Communities, Territories and Infrastructure of Ukraine, TAPAS Project/Transparency and Accountability in Public Administration and Services, as well as the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine.

Regarding the stage of our joint work, we are constantly approaching the launch of online services related to graduation. The Shipping Administration is a public institution, so this greatly affects the speed of implementation of changes, because all processes and procedures must be agreed.

We are in constant contact with international maritime organizations – this is the International Maritime Organization (IMO), as well as The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA). They are informed about the changes that have taken place in the procedure for certifying seafarers in Ukraine and support us in this direction.

Businesses and sailors have repeatedly complained about the Administration’s lack of transparency and corruption. Do you think it will be possible to change this perception of the state body?

I am sure that the perception of the Shipping Administration as a corrupt state body is becoming a thing of the past, moreover, I am already observing these changes. Currently, there is a lot of positive feedback from the maritime community about our activities, as well as the changes that are currently being implemented. We constantly feel the support of sailors. Of course, among them there are those who are dissatisfied, in particular, due to the fact that they do not have the opportunity to confirm their qualifications remotely. But this problem should be solved by the launch of services for seafarers on the “Diya” portal.

So far, how many sailors have received documents for departure from Ukraine from the Administration? Have there been cases when you had to refuse?

Since the entry into force of Government Resolution No. 992 of 09/02/2022, more than 25,000 seafarers have already received Confirmation from the Shipping Administration. This is one of the necessary conditions for crossing the state border during martial law. Our employees check the documents submitted by seafarers for consideration every day. If the seafarer has successfully passed the inspection, he can receive a Confirmation from the Shipping Administration, signed by the manager or deputy. In the future, this document must be presented to border guards and military commissars.

Otherwise, the person receives a refusal. Most often, applications are rejected due to incorrect filling of the form when submitting online. In this case, it is necessary to submit the application again, correcting the errors pointed out by the employees of the Administration in the rejection letter.

What is the first thing you will do when the war is over?

Here it would be more appropriate to say “when Ukraine wins.” Ukraine will win. And for me it is not faith or hope, it is knowledge. The war made certain adjustments. Therefore, the first thing I will do is visit the ports in Mariupol, Berdyansk, and of course, I will go to the blue-yellow Crimea, we will organize work there, in our great independent country.

Ruslan Soroka.