Azov-Don inland waterway transport in Jan-Jul grows 4.2% to 4.88 million tonnes
Shipping within the Azov-Don Basin of Russia's inland waterway system totaled 4,887,000 tonnes of different cargoes as of August 1, 2017. This represents a 4.2% growth on the same seven-month period of 2016, the Asov-Don Basin Administration told the IAA PortNews regional correspondent.
The volume of transit cargo in the reporting period increased by 2.8% to 4,123,000 tonnes and domestic shipping increased by 13% to 764,000. tonnes.
Ship traffic on the Azov-Don Basin waterways as of August 1, 2017 totaled 2,907 vessels and tug/barge units, including 1,408 vessels downstream and 1,449 vessels upstream.
A year earlier there were 2887 vessels: 1403 vessels and ATBs downstream and 1,484 upstream.
In July, shipping within the Azov-Don Basin rose 4% to 1,538,000 tonnes of cargo. Transportation of fuel oil increased by 0.9% to 437,000 tonnes, of sulfur rose 18.2% to 260,000 tonnes. Transit freight traffic grew by 6.1% to 1,279,000 tonnes. However, the monthly volume of inland waterways shipping fell 5.5% to 259,000 tonnes.
In July 2017 inland ship traffic in the region reached 831 vessels and ATBs (426 downstream / 405 upstream) as compared with 881 units (441 / 440) a year earlier.
The water discharge rate from Tsimlyansk Reservoir on July 1-2, 2017 was 300 cbm/sec, between July 3 and July 31 – 340 cmb/sec.
Actual water levels on the lower Don since the transit navigation start exceeded the projected ones. Actual depths in July this year from the channel entrance up to the 132 Konstantinovsky hydro engineering facility were 400 cm, on the Konstantinovsky to Kochetovsky stretch – 380 to 400 cm, on the Kochetovsky – First Arpachinsky riffle stretch – 370 to 400 cm, from First Arpachinsky riffle to the 3121-km stretch of the Don – 380 to 400 cm.
The Federal Azov-Don Basin Administration is responsible for management and control of inland waterways of the Don River Don from the lower access channel of Lock No 15 (Tsimlyansk Reservoir) to the village of Aksai (the 3121-km stretch of the Don), except for Nikolayevsky and the Konstantinovsky hydroengineering facilities, and the tributaries of the Don River, Seversky Donets (from Krasny farm to the mouth) and the Manych River (from the Novo-Manychskaya Dam to the mouth). The total length of the Azov-Don Basin Administration managed inland waterways reaches 691.3 km.
