Video report on Round Table meeting "Prospects of container transportation by Russia’s inland waterways" arranged by PortNews IAA is released. Within the framework of the event it was noted that the volume of cargo transportation is to go up while highways and railways can hardly cope with the traffic.
Meanwhile, convenient and ecologically friendly river-going container carriers are not widespread in Russia though container transportation makes it possible to improve labor efficiency, to cut delivery time and to ensure cargo safety. European experience proves that active use of inland waterways allows a considerable decrease of logistic companies’ costs. It cannot but reflects on a customer as transportation costs account for a significant part of a product’s final price.
According to Olga Shershneva, head of the Design Development Department of GK LITER, "sometimes it is cheaper to use railways. But at the latest Sea Board meeting this question was also discussed; it was decided that it was necessary to implement a uniform taxation system, hence internal waterways will become competitive.”
But despite obvious necessity of development of this programme arising difficulties do not allow yet developing at a sufficient rate.
According to Nikolay Smirnov, President of the Association of Shipping Companies, "psychology reorganization and construction of specialized container vessels will be required.” ASC President hopes that “in some ten years specialized container trucks will really go down Volgo-Balt, to Perm, Volgograd, Saratov, Moscow, and we will unload railways and – what is most important – roads."