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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
The Ukrainian maritime sector has become the center of a new scandal over allegations of potential corruption risks and problems in the work of the Shipping Administration. At the center of attention is its head, Serhiy Hurskyi.
What the scandal is about The Administration of Shipping, subordinate to the Ministry, has for a long time been mentioned in media publications in the context of allegations of possible corrupt practices. Public discourse has also included claims of a possible rise in the unofficial cost of procedures on the Danube, increased fees for issuing certificates, and long-standing problems in the certification of seafarers. In addition, according to Member of Parliament Anna Skorokhod, during official trips Hurskyi allegedly visited a woman in Poland whom the MP calls his "Muse." In connection with this, the MP said she will send an appropriate parliamentary inquiry to the Minister of Rebuilding, Infrastructure and Transport of Ukraine, Mykola Kalashnyk. Also read: Pay 10 thousand dollars or wait: a new scandal over payoffs in Ukrainian ports Why Hurskyi still remains in office Despite public outcry and parliamentary inquiries, the head of the Shipping Administration continues to work without noticeable personnel or managerial consequences. At the same time, according to available information, his term in office was extended for another three months, despite the objections and criticism voiced, including by Prime Minister Serhiy Koretskyi. The lack of a noticeable reaction from the Ministry to these allegations may also raise questions about the agency’s next steps. In circumstances where accusations are being made about the Shipping Administration’s work, the absence of a public response from the ministry may prompt additional questions about its position. What they demand from the Ministry According to Skorokhod, if the Ministry of Infrastructure does not respond to signals of possible abuses, does not audit the Administration’s work, and does not make personnel decisions, this, in her view, could indicate the ministry’s political responsibility for the situation in the maritime sector. The MP emphasizes that the maritime sector today needs systemic changes, transparent rules of operation, and the political will to stop practices that the market openly talks about. In her view, one of the first questions the Ministry must answer is why Hurskyi still heads the Shipping Administration in the face of public criticism and accusations regarding the agency’s work. Skorokhod also speaks of a confrontation between what she called a locally entrenched system of "port bosses," which resists change, and the business demand for transparency, which she believes should be embodied by the new sector minister.
Earlier, Anna Skorokhod also raised questions about the situation in the Shipping Administration. In particular, the MP spoke about possible problems with personnel appointments and claimed that the agency’s leadership — its head Serhiy Hurskyi and the head of the Odesa office, Oleksandr Zaborskyi — came under scrutiny because of these issues.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Поїздки за кордон до "Музи" та побори: голова Адміністрації судноплавства потрапив у скандал". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: RBC-Ukraine.
