River vessels in St. Petersburg to use Malaya Neva till May 20 due to Palace Bridge repair
The traffic of river / river-sea going vessels in St. Petersburg will be arranged along the Malaya Neva river due to the repair of the Palace Bridge to last from the beginning of the summer navigation (late April) till May 20, PortNews IAA learnt from Peotr Parinov, Harbour Master of Big Port St. Petersburg. He believes that it will not result in considerable decrease of the traffic density at the Neva and Volga-Baltic system provided that all preliminary arrangements are fulfilled.
According to the source, St. Petersburg authorities made a request to limit the vessel traffic along the Neva for the bridge repair period. At the meeting of March 12 dedicated to the Neva navigation over this period it was decided to consent to the suggestion of the City and to arrange temporary navigation route along the Malaya Neva provided that a set of measures is fulfilled.
As of today, 140-meter long vessels can pass the Malaya Neva while tankers and tug-and-tow trains cannot pass the river without additional measures. Therefore, St. Petersburg undertakes arrangement of a temporary tanker anchorage at the berths of the Basil Island’s cargo district. The issue of tug-and-tow trains (up to 170 meters long) is expected to be solved after mathematical simulation (to be financed by St. Petersburg authorities). Besides, municipal authorities have agreed to extend the raising period of other bridges by 1 hour on the average during the Palace Bridge repair.
“The time and the length of the route will certainly increase for vessels passing the Neva to / from St. Petersburg port, - Peotr Parinov comments. But it is not a stalemate situation. With the implementation of all measures and the solution to an issue of tug-and-tow trains, there will not be a decrease of vessel flow.”
