In Mykolaiv, councillors will review the yacht mooring fees, which the State Regulatory Service is demanding be abolished

Yacht moorings on the grounds of the «Atlant» sports school in Mykolaiv. Photo: NikVesti archive

Councillors on Mykolaiv City Council have requested information from the sports department regarding fees, contracts and payments for the mooring of private yachts at the «Atlant» and «Olimp» sports schools. Previously, the State Regulatory Service had demanded the revocation of the executive committee’s decision approving these tariffs.

This issue was discussed on 27 October at a meeting of the City Council’s Standing Committee on Health and Social Protection, according to NikVesti.

Serhii Miroshnyk, a representative of the «Strilka» yacht club, addressed the councillors. He explained that yachtsmen have been trying to regulate the operation of moorings on the premises of sports schools since 2021. According to him, previous inspections had revealed violations, but the problem has still not been resolved.

Artem Vashchilenko, a member of the commission responsible for inspecting sports schools, pointed out that the State Regulatory Service had already submitted a proposal to abolish the tariffs. He suggested approaching the mayor, Oleksandr Sienkevych, to ask the executive committee to revoke its decision.

«This is now the fifth central government body to tell us that we cannot proceed in this way. We must bring everything into line with the requirements of the law,» stated Artem Vashchylenko.

He suggested that councillors approach the mayor, Oleksandr Sienkevych, regarding the implementation of the State Regulatory Service’s proposal. Furthermore, in his view, the operation of moorings for private and sports vessels needs to be organised separately.

Artem Vashchylenko noted that a similar practice exists in other cities across Ukraine, where children’s sports schools and yacht moorings can operate within the same area, but their activities are registered separately.

Furthermore, he drew attention to the condition of the mooring facilities. According to him, Mykolaiv has two mooring complexes which, in the event of an emergency, can be used to transport people, cargo and military personnel between the riverbanks.

«As a city, we have only two mooring complexes with sufficient water depths to organise the urgent transport of city residents, cargo and military personnel from one bank of the river to the other. And if we do not bring these locations up to standard now, it simply poses a security challenge for the whole city. The lifts there must be made operational,» emphasised Artem Vashchylenko.

During the discussion, councillor Oleksandr Medvedev raised the issue of yacht owners’ debts to sports schools. He stated that vessel owners must first settle their outstanding debts under previous contracts.

«You must settle the outstanding debts owed to our sports administration. All your debts must be paid off. Then we can start talking about other matters,» said the councillor.

In response, Serhii Miroshnyk stated that yachtsmen are prepared to pay for mooring, but only under lawful contracts. He also complained about the varying payment terms for boat owners. According to him, previously some paid 15 гривень per square metre, whilst others paid 45 гривень.

Furthermore, the yacht club representative accused officials of misusing funds from yacht mooring fees and highlighted problems with the maintenance of the moorings. The chair of the committee, Hanna Nord, called for evidence of possible violations to be forwarded to the law enforcement authorities.

Following the discussion, councillors unanimously supported the proposal to request an explanation from the sports department regarding the legality of the moorings’ operations, as well as information on tariffs, payments and contracts with boat owners.

As is well known, efforts have been underway in Mykolaiv for several years to regulate the operation of private yacht moorings on the premises of sports schools. Previously, during an inspection of «Atlant», issues were identified regarding contracts and mooring fees. In particular, according to the inspection findings, the debt owed by boat owners to the institution exceeded 158,000 гривен.

To resolve the issue, the city authorities proposed dividing the sports school grounds and the yacht moorings, and transferring the management of the jetties to the municipal enterprise «Timeset». However, in June 2026, councillors once again rejected the proposal to divide the «Atlant» site.

In August, the executive committee approved the fees for paid services at the «Atlant» and «Olimp» sports schools. The rate set for «Atlant» was 49.69 гривень per square metre per month, and for «Olimp» — 32.63 гривень.

However, in October, the State Regulatory Service demanded that this decision be revoked. The agency noted that the fees had been approved in breach of procedure, and that sports schools cannot organise moorings for private vessels without complying with specific legal requirements. The city authorities were required to report on their consideration of the submission by 23 October.