ANK Law Office appointed as local partner to Maritime Anti-Corruption Network in Ukraine

The Maritime Anti-Corruption Network (MACN) has expanded its anti-corruption ‘Help Desk’ concept to Ukraine’s ports and terminals. This development follows the successful implementation of similar Help Desks, operated in conjunction with local partners, in Nigeria and Argentina.

The local Help Desk will support MACN member companies calling at ports and terminals calls and when vessels and crew are faced with corrupt demands. The Help Desk will provide initial operational advice to the situation, and provide a formal way of liaising with, and escalating cases to relevant local public authorities. MACN has entered into an agreement with local law firm ATTORNEY ASSOCIATION “ANK. MARITIME LAW PRACTICE”, to run this support function. You can find more about ANK Maritime Law Practice here.

Cecilia Muller Torband, Executive Director of MACN said “The ‘Help Desk’ model has proven its effectiveness in Nigerian and Argentinian posts, and we believe there is great potential for a similar support structure in Ukraine. Fundamental to MACN’s collective action approach is that sustainable solutions to tackle corruption must be enabled by, supported by, and beneficial to key local stakeholders. Dialogue with stakeholders is, therefore, a critical part of MACN’s collective action projects. MACN’s local partners have played a key role in the engagement and dialogue with such key stakeholders. Therefore, our partnership with ANK aims to strengthen integrity in the ports and terminals of Ukraine by working with local and international stakeholders.”

MACN represents a large part of the maritime industry and keeps a close dialogue with its member companies in understanding the challenges in the region. Survey conducted by MACN together with industry partners showed that Ukraine is perceived as a challenging country in the Black Sea region for port calls. Despite, Ukraine’s recent efforts to tackle corruption and enforce a new maritime regulatory framework, challenges remain and the consequences for reject illicit demands can lead to longdelays of vessels and the threat of fines for alleged non-compliance.

Oleksandr Kyfak, Managing Partner of ANK Law Office, said: “We have been providing legal advice to maritime and shipping business since 1996 and therefore well understood the climate and challenges they faced daily. We share the goals and principles of MACN and therefore agreed to be the local partner of MACN in Ukraine. We do believe that our partnership will be useful for the maritime industry of Ukraine and will speed up reforms in the maritime sector of Ukraine, which would result in facilitation of applicable procedures in the ports and harmonization of Ukrainian legislation to EU as provided by Ukraine – EU Association Agreement”.

Additionally, in coordination with the MACN Secretariat, ANK will support in local communication efforts and awareness raising about MACN’s collective action initiative, carry out an integrity risk assessment of port-related challenges, and assist in developing relevant Integrity Tools. We look forward to this collaborated effort in Ukraine.

More information can be found on the website of the “Ports of Ukraine” publication, as well as on the official MACN website: https://ports.ua/ank-stala-predstavitelem-sluzhby-podderzhki-macn-v-ukraine/, https://www.maritime-acn.org/news