How to Make the Irtysh a Profitable Logistics Artery for Business? Response from the Avangard SEZ

Mikhail Derevyanko, Deputy General Director for Development of the Avangard SEZ, presented a report at the International Forum “Irtysh: River of Friendship, River of Development.” His key question to his colleagues was about the conditions under which businesses would seriously transition to river shipping.

The Avangard SEZ is not only a site for new production facilities but also a potential major generator of freight traffic for the Irtysh. To realize this potential, clear economic incentives and reliable infrastructure are needed.

What Avangard already offers to future resident shippers:
✅ Convenient location: The SEZ is located in Omsk, a key hub where the Irtysh, the Trans-Siberian Railway, and major highways intersect. ✅ Financial incentives: tax breaks on profits, property, land, and customs duties.
✅ Low entry costs: land lease from 75,000 rubles per hectare per year, with the option to purchase at 15% of the cadastral value.

Key message: Developing the Irtysh River and attracting residents to the SEZ are interrelated objectives. Stable and cost-effective river transport will provide an additional competitive advantage for investors in the Omsk Region.

Results: To foster synergies between production and logistics, dialogue is needed between government, infrastructure companies, and businesses. This dialogue was precisely what was initiated at today’s event.

The Avangard SEZ is ready to become an active participant in this process, offering businesses the best conditions in the region for creating new production facilities whose products can be transported via new logistics routes.