Charity and sponsorship
Sovcomflot Group adheres to the principles of socially responsible business practices. The Company’s charity and sponsorship activities are aimed at supporting educational and social institutions, enhancing the prestige of the maritime profession, preserving the cultural and historical heritage and natural diversity of our country, and taking care of industry veterans.
PAO Sovcomflot provides sponsorship and charity assistance in accordance with the relevant regulations approved by the PAO Sovcomflot Board of Directors on 17 December 2008 (Minutes No. 94) with the amendments and additions approved by the PAO Sovcomflot Board of Directors on 12 May 2010 (Minutes No. 104), 7 April 2015 (Minutes No. 143) and 31 July 2017 (Minutes No. 164).
In accordance with these regulations, the Company annually allocates for these purposes 1% of the budgeted annual net profit calculated according to international financial reporting standards in US Dollars. In 2020 the Group’s sponsorship and charity expenses amounted to RUB 71 million (
Key areas of sponsorship and charity
Key areas of sponsorship and charity
Charitable assistance to St. Olga’s Children’s Hospital (Saint Petersburg)
Sovcomflot Group has been providing support to St. Olga’s Hospital and allocating funds to equip the anaesthesiology and intensive care ward of the hospital with modern high-tech equipment for more than 10 years. In 2020, given the spread of new coronavirus disease, the volume of funds to support the health care facility was doubled: the hospital received two expert-class artificial lung ventilation units, which enabled it to significantly increase the volume and improve the quality of aid provided during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Support for professional maritime education
Sovcomflot attaches great importance to supporting maritime educational institutions. To this end, Sovcomflot for many years has been actively cooperating with the country’s key maritime universities: Admiral Makarov State University of Maritime and Inland Shipping (St. Petersburg), Admiral Ushakov Maritime State University (Novorossiysk) and Admiral Nevelskoy Maritime State University (Vladivostok). For more detailed information, see the Professional development section of this Annual Report. During the reporting period, Sovcomflot allocated additional funds to universities to purchase means for preventing the spread of new coronavirus infection, as well as equipment for distance learning.
Sovcomflot has been actively supporting the development of children’s sailing in Primorskry Krai through the Sailing School at the Admiral Nevelskoy Maritime State University since 2016. Experienced teachers instil in schoolchildren a love of the sea, help them learn the ABCs of the maritime profession on Optimist and Cadet class dinghies. The school currently has more than 50 students.
Charitable assistance to Captain Varukhin Maritime Centre (Velikiy Novgorod)
Sovcomflot is a member of the Board of Guardians of the Centre and provides active support in the development of this unique educational institution. The development of the Centre’s material and technical base – equipping classrooms and ships with multimedia, navigation and emergency rescue equipment – continued in 2020. Activities were carried out to improve the skills of its teaching staff. A gathering of young sailors within the project “Russia – a country of 21st century sailors” took place in the summer of 2020 in compliance with all anti-epidemic measures.
Sovcomflot’s annual support makes it possible not only to preserve the existing traditions of the children’s fleet, but also to form a basis for the development of innovative competencies required for work in a modern fleet.
Charitable assistance to the Youth Maritime League
The active collaborate work carried out by Sovcomflot and the Youth Maritime League, a public organisation supporting the development of the younger generation, helps raise the prestige of the maritime profession and sports through the development of maritime programmes “School of Young Shipwrights” and “School under Sails”. Over a few recent years, about 3,000 children and teenagers representing 64 children’s maritime centres, cadet corps and clubs of young sailors from 49 regions of Russia participated in all-Russian gatherings of young sailors in children’s centres “Artek” and “Ocean” with the participation of Sovcomflot. The year 2020 made its adjustments – the main efforts were directed toward developing the material and technical base of children’s centres. Nevertheless, it proved possible to conduct gatherings of young sailors in children’s centres in compliance with all anti-epidemic measures and restrictions.
Charitable assistance to the Eurasian Centre for the Preservation of Far Eastern Leopards (Primorsky Krai)
Sovcomflot has been providing assistance to the Land of Leopard National Park and supporting the programme aiming to preserve and restore the population of the rarest leopard subspecies, the Far Eastern Leopard. With the Company’s assistance, in 2020 a set of landscape fire protection as well as other environmental and biotechnical measures were carried out in the new territories of the national park (in particular, the Ussuriisk Nature Reserve). A digital platform was implemented to control patrol routes, full material and technical support was provided to the ranger inspection service.
Charitable assistance to the Centre for the Study and Preservation of the Amur Tiger Population (Primorsky Krai)
Sovcomflot has been financing the project for the study and preservation of the Amur tiger population in the Far East since 2016. The Amur tiger is the northernmost subspecies of tiger and is listed in the Red Book. Today its population numbers about 600 animals.
With the support of Sovcomflot, the centre continues to develop successfully its research programme, monitor the tiger population, increase the effectiveness of the tiger’s protection outside the specially protected natural reserves, carries out awareness-raising and educational activities and is improving the regulatory framework.
Charitable assistance to the Russian America Project (Fort Ross, US)
Since 2012, Sovcomflot, in collaboration with Transneft and Chevron, has been assisting in preserving Fort Ross, a monument of Russian history and culture in the U.S. This former Russian mercantile settlement in California was founded in 1812. Fort Ross is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places and is a Historical Park of the state of California. Fort Ross Dialogue, an international forum focusing on economic and cultural interaction between Russia and the U.S., is a continuation of this initiative.
Sponsorship support for the All-Russian Federation of Swimming
Sovcomflot Group has been providing sponsorship support to the All-Russian Federation of Swimming for more than 10 years. The children’s swimming competition “Merry Dolphin” was not conducted in 2020 due to restrictions, but the XIV International Swimming Competition “Vladimir Salnikov Cup” (Saint Petersburg) did take place. These competitions have been included in the European Swimming League (LEN) and International Swimming Federation (FINA) calendars as a top-level international tournament for many years. In 2020, for the first time ever, the competition took place without spectators and fans were watching the athletes competing for 35 sets of medals in online broadcast.
The triumphants at the Cup were Russian swimmer Evgeniya Chikunova and Belarusian Ilya Shimanovich, who won the tournament Grand Prix and set new records. Andrey Minakov from Saint Petersburg set a new European youth record at the 100 m butterfly.
Sponsorship support for the All-Russian Federation of Sailing
Sovcomflot Group has been providing sponsorship support to the All-Russian Federation of Sailing for more than 10 years. In doing so, it is paying particular attention to the development of children’s and youth sailing: new schools and sections have been organised in Russian regions, athletes are provided with support to participate in major competitions, such as the Russian Championship and national championship in Olympic classes. In addition, support from Sovcomflot helps the Federation train Russian Paralympic athletes.
Support for scientific and cultural programmes Literary Award «Far East»
The All-Russian Literary Award “Far East” named after V.K. Arsenyev, an outstanding Russian geographer and explorer of the Far East, is a new, but yet important event in the cultural life of our country. Supporting the award in the category “Prose for Children”, Sovcomflot is confident that reading the best examples of modern Russian prose, the younger generation of Russians will love their homeland, our country, just as Vladimir Arsenyev loved it.
Scientific and Practical Conference «Polar Readings»
Sovcomflot has been supporting the efforts of the Branch of the Museum of World Ocean in St. Petersburg “Icebreaker Krasin”, the Arctic Museum and Exhibition Centre, and the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute on holding the conference “Polar Readings” and publishing a collection of scientific papers for many years. In 2020 the conference was held for the eighth time, but for the first time in a remote mode. 150 Arctic research specialists from Russia, Belarus, Norway and Sweden took part in the conference. Reports presented in 8 thematic sections were devoted to a wide range of issues related to the history or research and expeditions in the Arctic, international cooperation in studying Polar regions, and technologies that help popularize scientific knowledge about the Arctic.
International Film Festival «17 Moments...» named after Vyacheslav Tikhonov
Sovcomflot has been supporting this film festival since its inception in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture of Russia and Moscow Region, the Filmmakers’ Union of Russia and the State Film Fund. The festival serves as a good launch pad for creative arts students, helps discover new names who are aspiring to make their mark in the history of cinema and is geared toward encouraging the creation of new films for children, youth and family.
