Ust-Luga – Baltijsk ferry line is open
Official ceremony opening ferry line Ust-Luga (Leningrad region) – Baltijsk (Kaliningrad region) has been held today. According to the correspondent of PortNews IAA, loading of Baltijsk railroad ferry has started already. Today the ferry will start its first commercial voyage. According to Konstantin Goncharov, Director General of Ust-Luga branch of Rosmorport FSUE, the ferry will be loaded with 48 rail wagons: 20 wagons with heavy fuel oil, 16 – with coal, 10 – with sand, 2 – with mineral fertilizers. The largest part of cargo is for military units of Kaliningrad region. The ferry will reach Baltijsk on September 9. Till the end of 2006 the ferry will be operated at the line under test run terms. The press release of Ust-Luga branch of Rosmorport FSUE reports that according to RZHD OJSC this new ferry line will carry in 2007 800 thou tons of cargo. By 2009 the figure may grow to 1.9 million tons per year.
The construction of a ferry complex – Ust-Luga - Baltijsk - German ports was started in 2003. The line is dedicated for insuring safe transport link of Russia with Kaliningrad region. Cargo turnover of the project Ust-Luga - Baltijsk - German ports is 5.5 million tons per year. The length of the line Ust-LugaBaltijsk is 508 km, the cost of its development amounted to 4.4 billion rubles. We’d like to remind that initial commissioning of the first phase of the ferry line Ust-Luga - Baltijsk - German ports was scheduled for December 2005. -
