NIBULON () is a Ukrainian agricultural company specializing in production and export of grains such as wheat, barley and corn. The company was headquartered in Mykolaiv until 2023, when it transferred to Kyiv. It is the only agricultural company in Ukraine with its own fleet and shipyard.
NIBULON was founded by Oleksiy Vadaturskyy in 1991. He was awarded the Hero of Ukraine distinction in 2007 for his contributions to the development of Ukrainian agriculture. In 2022, Vadaturskyy was killed in a Russian missile attack on Mykolaiv. His son, Andriy Vadaturskyi, subsequently took over as CEO.
History 1991–2000
In 1991, the joint venture of the Mykolaiv businessman Oleksiy Vadaturskyy, the Hungarian and British firms KOMBISEED KFT and Meridian Commodities Ltd, were created. The name of the company was formed after the first letters of the cities where the co-founders came from: Mykolaiv, Budapest and London.
In 1998, the agricultural holding its first direct loan of US$5 million from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), becoming the first Ukrainian agricultural company to receive such financing. The funds were used to expand exports. Attracting a foreign loan gave impetus to the development of the company. On 15 December 2004, World Bank report (IBRD, one of its divisions) stated that each dollar invested in a NIBULON credit line generated $4–5.
2001–2012 In 2003, NIBULON put into operation the facilities for direct transshipment at its transshipment terminal for grain and oilseeds shipments in Mykolaiv. In August, the company loaded the first DS Pioneer vessel in Cyprus with fodder barley at the terminal. This was the first batch of Ukrainian grain of the 2003 harvest exported to Saudi Arabia. In December, two grain elevators with a capacity of 50,000 tons each were put into operation at the terminal.NIBULON expands Transshipment Terminal
The company focused on grain exports. In 2004 and 2005, NIBULON exported 1.3 million tons of grain; in 2008 and 2009, exports exceeded 4 million tons. In terms of volume, NIBULON became the leader among Ukrainian exporters.Зерно и люди In 2004, NIBULON's transshipment terminal was acknowledged as Ukraine's best industrial facility constructed and launched that year.NIBULON 30 Years of Success
In 2007, Vadaturskyy was awarded the Hero of Ukraine, the country's highest honour, for his role in the development of the Ukrainian agricultural industry.
In 2009, the company had 36 branches in 10 regions of Ukraine and cultivated approximately of land on its own."Нибулон" планирует начать производство колбасных изделий The same year, NIBULON began developing its own river transport infrastructure on the Southern Buh and Dnipro. To this end, a shipping company was established. The company signed agreements with the Okean Shipyard for the construction of 24 non-self-propelled dry cargo vessels of mixed (river-sea) navigation for the transportation of general and bulk cargoes. The following year, a contract was signed for the construction of tugboats. By 2013, NIBULON already had a fleet of 36 vessels (including 7 tugs).Transportation of Grain Cargoes in Ukraine Additionally, the company had seven river transshipment complexes, six located on the Dnipro.
In 2012, Vadaturskyy and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Country Director for Ukraine André Küüsvek signed a loan agreement for allocation of a syndicated loan of $125 million to NIBULON.Nibulon ST Syndicated Facility
2013–2021 In 2013, at the Santierul Naval Constanta Shipyard in Constanta, Romania, a solemn ceremony of the St. Mykolai floating crane christening was held. The vessel was built by the order of NIBULON, and it was the largest floating transshipment crane in the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Basins.Romanian Shipyard Delivers Black Sea’s Largest Floating Crane To Nibulon
In December 2013, NIBULON started to construct its own fleet, namely POSS-115 project tugs (NIBULON-5 and NIBULON-6) at its own shipbuilding yard. NIBULON planned to increase the volume of river freight to 1 million tons.
In 2016, the company prepared for the resumption of passenger transportation on the Dnipro and the Southern Buh. By November, it repaired and tested two Voskhod hydrofoils (NIBULON Express-1, NIBULON Express-2). That same year the NIBULON Express performed its first trip.Nibulon to Begin Transporting Passengers on High Speed Hydrofoil Boats In December 2016, the European Investment Bank and NIBULON signed a €71 million loan agreement to develop and modernize the logistics infrastructure of Ukraine.EIB providing EUR 71 mln to Nibulon to develop infrastructure in Ukraine In 2017, NIBULON launched scheduled passenger transportation by the routes Voznesensk – Kovalivka – Nova Odesa – Mykolaiv and Nova Kakhovka – Kherson – Hola Prystan, as well as trips to the Kinburn Spit.Kinburnskaya Spit Hydrofoils NavigationКомпанія «Нібулон» запустила регулярні водні пасажирські перевезення за маршрутами «Вознесенськ – Ковалівка – Нова Одеса – Миколаїв» та «Нова Каховка – Херсон – Гола Пристань»
In 2017, the company inaugurated its Khortytsia branch in Bilenke, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, with the participation of the Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman.«НІБУЛОН» вводить в експлуатацію термінал у Запорізькій області During the inauguration, NIBULON signed a $100 million loan agreement with the International Finance Corporation to boost food security.IFC Provides up to $100 million to Ukraine’s Nibulon to Boost Food Security That year, the company announced that it expanded its logistical capabilities after acquiring 60 new tractors.
In 2018 it was announced that the company was involved in a construction project of new deep water seaport in Kherson Oblast, Dnieper-Buh Estuary. In 2018, the EBRD and NIBULON signed a $50 million loan agreement to continue the implementation of the national project to revive cargo transportation on the Dnipro and the Southern Buh and to develop grain logistics.EBRD to provide up to $50 mln loan to Nibulon On 3 March, the first 100-metre non-self-propelled B5000 project vessel was launched from the reconstructed slipway of Nibulon Shipyard.Nibulon seeks to start building cargo sea vesselsNIBULON SHIPBUILDING AND REPAIR YARD TO LAUNCH SIX VESSELS AND TO START THE CONSTRUCTION OF THREE MORE ONES THIS YEAR On 1 June, NIBULON started regular passenger transportation by the route Ochakiv – Kinburn Spit. To perform these trips, the company's 100-metre floating berth was installed in Ochakiv.
In 2019, NIBULON put into operation its new transshipment terminal in Ternivka, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, making it the company's third terminal in the oblast.Nibulon Builds New River Terminal in Zaporizhia Region On 20 September, NIBULON officially opened the international TRANS EXPO ODESA-MYKOLAIV 2019 Forum at the NIBULON shipbuilding and shiprepair yard. A water show with the participation of NIBULON's entire fleet series was the main event.Summary of Exhibition-2019 The company officially put into operation a 140-metre NIBULON MAX river-sea floating vessel, the longest one built for the past 25 years of Ukraine's independence. It is equipped with two cranes and grain storage of .NIBULON Launches 140-m NIBULON MAX
In 2020, NIBULON put into operation its new high-tech Zelenodolska branch transshipment terminal in Marianske, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, making it the company's first facility in the region.Nibulon Puts its New Transshipment Terminal into OperationZelenodolsk
On July 1, 2021, a new facility with the organizational and legal form of a limited liability company was established on the basis of the company's structural division, the NIBULON shipbuilding and shiprepair yard.
2022–present
On 30 July 2022, Vadaturskyy and his wife, Raisa, were killed during a bombing of Mykolaiv, when a rocket hit the bedroom of their house. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy called his death "a great loss". In the wake of the bombing, Ukrainian presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak said Vadaturskyy was specifically targeted as one of Ukraine's wealthiest businessmen. Their son Andriy Vadaturskyy subsequently became NIBULON's new CEO.
As of 2022, NIBULON's fleet comprised 81 vessels.In memory of Oleksiy Vadaturskyy In June 2022, the construction of a new river transshipment terminal for its Bessarabska branch began in Izmail, with the completion of the first phase announced in October.Interview with Andriy Vadaturskyy: new terminal in Izmail port, demining of fields and fight against illegal trade of grain to exploit the future From October 2022 to June 2023, the branch exported the first million tons of grain cargo. During the blockade of Black Sea ports by the Russian navy, the branch became the main channel of the company's exports. In the first quarter of 2023, 64% of grain was exported through the Izmail terminal.Nibulon Exports 655,000 Tons Of Agricultural Products Since Beginning Of 2023 In 2023, most of the NIBULON fleet was blockaded in the Mykolaiv port by Russian naval vessels.NIBULON is capable of annually building 5-6 mine clearance vessels
Areas of activity The company has 50 facilities and divisions located in 14 regions of Ukraine and 3 filling stations.
Trade The company holds a significant share in Ukraine's exports of most grain and oilseeds (wheat, corn, barley, sunflower, soybeans, rapeseed, and sorghum), which are Ukraine's specialties. According to the results of the 2021 calendar year, NIBULON shipped a record 5.64 million tons.Saving Ukraine’s economy: the grain giant fighting for survival The company's main trading activity is focused on wheat, corn, barley, and sorghum, the majority of which is exported to the European Union, the Middle East, North Africa, and Southeast Asia.НИБУЛОН побил рекорд экспорта агропродукции за 10 лет
On 6 December 2017, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and NIBULON signed a memorandum of understanding to focus on improving the efficiency of Egyptian companies involved in grain production, storage, and transportation.FAO and Nibulon establish a promising collaboration to improve food security in Egypt
Logistics NIBULON redirects its cargo flows to water transport. To this end, the shipping company has been operating since 2009. It transports cargoes along the Dnipro and the Southern Buh. The company's modern fleet efficiently transports grain, watermelons and melons, metal, building materials (sand, piles, etc.), coal, and oversize cargoes. NIBULON's shipping company transported more than 25 million tons of cargoes by Ukrainian rivers, removing the equivalent of more than 1 million trucks from Ukrainian highways.Ukraine's Nibulon Reached Multiple Records in 2021 During the 2020 fiscal year, NIBULON transported about 4.3 million tons of various products, which represented a new yearly record for cargoes transported by Ukrainian inland waterways.
The company's cargo fleet is the youngest in Ukraine and is composed entirely of Ukrainian vessels. It consists of 83 units: tugboats, non-self-propelled vessels, Mykolaivets self-propelled dredger, NIBULON MAX self-propelled floating crane (P-140 project), St. Mykolai self-propelled floating crane, Nibulonivets and Nibulonivets-2 non-self-propelled floating cranes, and NIBULON Express hydrofoils.