Shipping on Russia’s inland waterways rises 11.5 percent
The volume of cargo transportation by inland waterways of the Russian Federation in the 2012 navigational season has reached 139.9 million tons, which represents a 11.5% gain from the same period of last year, The Russian Shipping (of PortNews Media Group) reports quoting deputy head of the Federal Agency of Maritime and River Transport (Rosmorrechflot) Yuri Kostin.
The Rosmorrechflot official said Wednesday at a briefing in Moscow that during the reporting period, the country’s inland waterways saw a 4-percent decline in passenger traffic to 13,455,700 people.
"We can recognize the 2012 navigation successful. Unfortunately, there was a decline in passenger traffic this year, which began in 2011. But we hope that the measures that have been taken by the Transportation Ministry and Rosmorrechflot will improve the quality of services, the technical condition of the fleet and attract passengers to river boats, including the tourists," The Russian Shipping quoted Yuri Kostin as saying.