Transit navigation in the Azov-Don Basin of inland water ways has been opened ahead of schedule: the first locking operation within the Kochetkovsky hydrosystem was held on 24 March 2020, says press center of Azov-Don Basin Administration.
Early opening of the transit navigation on the Lower Don river should be attributed to favorable weather conditions, technical readiness of the waterway and hydraulic engineering structures as well as interest of shipping companies.
The navigation season of 2020 on the Lower Don is forecasted to feature low water level and low level Tsimlyansky storage reservoir (just 32% of the normal level).
The Federal Azov-Don Basin Authority 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 river mouth). The total length of the Azov-Don Basin Administration managed inland waterways reaches 691.3 km.