By John Helmer in Moscow The last time Russia took fighting pirates seriously was two centuries ago, when the Empress Catherine the Great, followed byher short-lived successor Tsar Paul I, backed the Knights of Malta, who in turn fought naval engagements with the pirates of Barbary — as the Arab statelets and fortress towns of […]

by John Helmer - Sunday, May 10th, 2009
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May 8-July 3, 2009 Adam Waldman of The Endeavor Group, Washington, DC, for “correction” of media publications reporting that he is Oleg Deripaska’s lobbyist to recover Deripaska’s US visa, revoked by the US State Department in 2006 Registration with the US Department of Justice by Adam Waldman for The Endeavour Group, pursuant to the Foreign […]

by John Helmer - Friday, May 8th, 2009
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By John Helmer in Moscow Evraz, the most heavily indebted of Russia’s steelmakers, has refused to respond to questions about disclosures in its annual financial report for 2008, released on April 30, that the Russian group has pledged virtually its entire shareholding stakes in its North American assets, and in its lead longs mill, West […]

by John Helmer - Wednesday, May 6th, 2009
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By John Helmer in Moscow Russia’s state-owned crude oil pipeline company Transneft will commence loading oil tankers at Kozmino, the newest Russian oil port to be launched, as soon as December. With eventual capacity to load and ship 50 million tonnes per year (1 million barrels per day), Kozmino is to be one of the […]

by John Helmer - Wednesday, May 6th, 2009
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By John Helmer in Moscow In the world of mining, it can be much more profitable to leave the gold in the ground, and take out the cash from booming share or equity value. According to Oleg Mitvol, the mine regulator for the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources until last month, Russian goldminers are guilty […]

by John Helmer - Tuesday, May 5th, 2009
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By John Helmer in Moscow Steady as she goes — that isn’t exactly the message from Sovcomflot, Russia’s largest shipping company, and one of the five largest energy shipping, oil and gas tanker fleets in the world. Analysts at Moody’s Investors Service have issued a rating downgrade for the state-owned shipping company Sovcomflot, with a […]

by John Helmer - Monday, May 4th, 2009
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By John Helmer in Moscow The Russian government now leads the international naval powers’ tablewith 29 pirates under arrest, 14 more than the number being held by France, which has taken an estimated 71 Somalis in all; sent 11 to prison in Kenya; killed 4; and returned the rest to the Somali shore. The US […]

by John Helmer - Wednesday, April 29th, 2009
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By John Helmer in Moscow In the global marketplace for potash — one of the vital nutrients for plant growth, food production, and fertilizer fortune — noone is sharper at spotting a bargain than China. That’s because Chinese farmers, and the state fertilizer distributors, comprise the world’s largest consumers and importers of potash. And more […]

by John Helmer - Wednesday, April 29th, 2009
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By John Helmer in Moscow Russia’s maiden LNG terminal became operational in late 2008, after years of controversy over seismic and ground contamination onshore; threats to whale habitats at sea and tax evasion claims in Moscow. Gazprom, Russia’s dominant gas producer and monopoly exporter, now has shareholding control of the project operator, Sakhalin Energy, replacing […]

by John Helmer - Tuesday, April 28th, 2009
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By John Helmer in Moscow Confirmation this week by Mechel of its takeover of the West Virginia coal producer, Bluestone, has drawn fire from Moscow bank and brokerage analysts, who claim the price paid exceeds the value of the deal. The Mechel announcement was issued on April 22, confirming details of a transaction which first […]

by John Helmer - Thursday, April 23rd, 2009
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