The State Property Fund of Ukraine (SPF) despite two failures to privatize public joint-stock company Odesa Port-Side Plant in 2016 is preparing for a new tender to sell the plant at the end of 2017, acting SPF Head Dmytro Parfenenko has said.

"We are still optimistic. We are working on the plant to sell it… I think that by November we will reach the Cabinet of Ministers with a draft resolution approving the conditions of the plant's sale," he said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.

He said that at present a tender to select appraisers of the plant is being held.

"I don’t know what the figure will be. The main problem is toxic debts to Group DF," he said.

"Anyway, if things shape up in our favor, the privatization of Odesa Port-Side Plant could give no more than $250 million (UAH 6.4 billion at the current exchange rate)," he said, adding that it would not be enough to meet the target of the 2017 budget of UAH 17.1 billion.