Money to the river

RF Ministry of Transport calculates expenses for modernization of inland waterways (IWW) and navigation hydraulic structures (HS). According to initial estimations the amount is to exceed 166 billion rubles of one-time investments and over 10 billion rubles of annual investments.

President is not satisfied with IWW state

The Council of Rosmorrechflot (Federal Agency of Sea and River Transport) under RF Ministry of Transport considered on September 27 the Action Plan for implementation of the President’s order No 1290 dated 01.08.2006 on ensuring stable operation of inland waterways and navigation hydraulic structures. This information has been provided by the press service of the Ministry of Transport. The President’s order is based on the results of inspections held at government institutions responsible for the state of navigable IWW.

In the first half of 2006 Control Board of the RF President carried out the inspection at the Ministry of Transport, Rosmorrechflot and organizations subordinate to the Agency (Moscow Canal FSUE,  Kama State Basin Authority of waterways and structures (SBAWWS), Volga SBAWWS, Volga-Don SBAWWS, Volga-Balt SBAWWS). It considered implementation of legislation as regards improvement of efficiency of IWW state management, safe navigation and safe operation of HS. On the grounds of the inspection that has revealed “critical state of IWW operation” the President of RF ordered the Government of RF to take all necessary decisions as regards financing of IWW and HS maintenance in order to ensure their stable operation, and to prepare proposals as regards improvement of regulatory framework as well as to ensure safe navigation at IWW.

Transport Ministry has developed a plan for 166 billion

Russia’s Ministry of Transport jointly with involved federal authorities have developed a draft plan for activities on implementation of the President’s order. The draft plan was sent to the RF Government at the beginning of September. When considering the plan the Council noted that its implementation would require large financing considering lack of repaired HS, scope of repair needed, construction and modernization of industrial vessels. So, according to initial estimation, the Action Plan implementation will require необходимо 166.046 billion rubles of one-time investments and 10.020 billion rubles of annual investments.

The Action Plan consists of 42 clauses grouped into five Parts.

Part I: Activities on arrangement of conditions for efficient development and operation of inland waterways and navigable hydraulic structures.

Part II: Activities on ensuring of safe navigation at inland waterways and safe operation of navigable hydraulic structures.

Part III: Activities on financing for maintenance of inland waterways and safe operation of navigable hydraulic structures.

Part IV: Activities to increase efficient of federal property use.

Part V: Activities on improvement of Russian Federation legislation in order to ensure stable operation, safe navigation and safe maintenance of inland waterways and safe operation of navigable hydraulic structures.

Rosmorrechflot is responsible for implementation of 15 clauses of the Action Plan, Ministry of Transport - 17 clauses. Rosmorrechflot bears associate responsibility for implementation of 17 clauses.

Within the limits of the activities on Action Plan implementation the Council of Rosmorrechflot discussed conceptual approaches to the issue of re-organization of the management system at RF inland waterways. The major problem specified at the meeting was lack of funding. Restructuring of IWW is urgent considering administration reforms in the country, the Ministry of Transport thinks.

Special Work Group was formed in Rosmorrechflot for solving of this question. The group included representatives of State Basin Authority of waterways and structures (SBAWWS), business, science and общественных организаций of river transport. It was for the first time that reconstruction of IWW management system was so thoroughly discussed at the meeting of Rosmorrechflot Council.

Strategic purpose of reconstruction of IWW management system is availability of cheap, ecological and safe transportation of people, cargo and goods for population, business and state along all inland waterways as the most important element of transport infrastructure of the country with optimal expenses of state budget at all the levels. One of the basic principles of reconstruction is preservation of hydraulic structures of inland waterways in federal property.

In two stages

It is supposed to divide reconstruction of IWW management system into two stages. The first one - differentiation of inland waterways of Russian Federation into federal and regional levels. The secondone is aimed at implementation of one of major directions of administrative reform. It is organizational distribution of functions for providing state services to natural and legal entities and for state control of activities through improvement of IWW management system  formed on the basis of basin principle.

The work group analyzed eight variants for reconstruction of IWW management system. The council considered four variants of reconstruction of IWW management system.

1. To leave the system of IWW management system unchanged: administrative-and-power authorization and economic functions related to maintenance of guaranteed parameters of a navigable pass, maintenance of navigation, maintenance of navigable hydraulic structures and technological links should stay within competence of SBAWWS.

2. Administrative-and-power authorization as regards inland waterways to be imposed on Unified Administration of river basins with a network of branches and necessary amount of experts to perform these functions at separate structural divisions of central offices of SBAWWS. Another important thing here is the development of port captain institutions for registration of activities and order in the ports. Port captain should be a deputy to a head of the River Basin Administration. Number of RBA does not directly depend on number of river basins of RF structures or ports at a certain territory. The functions of state services - maintenance of IWW, navigable HS, technological links - to be performed by SBAWWS.

3. To form River Basin Administrations on the basis port captains following the same principles as in the second variant. The functions of state services - maintenance of IWW, navigable HS, technological links - to be performed by SBAWWS.

4. Administrative-and-power authorization as regards inland waterways management HS and to be imposed on SBAWWS, while economic functions on maintenance of port water ways and functions of holder of the book of port HS at federal waterways to be imposed on Podvodrechstroi Central Administration.

On finalization of the discussion, it was decided to refine the Action Plan considering the remarks of RF Government and proposals received. It was decided to charge the Work Group with furnishing of comparative analysis of reconstruction of IWW management system before October 7.