The Russian Government at its meeting today approved the draft Strategy for the Development of inland waterway transport until 2030, a source in the Russian Ministry of Transport told the IAA PortNews correspondent.
Previously, the project had been widely discussed, with participation, among others, of the Union of Transport of Russia, the National Chamber of Shipping, the Association of Ports and shipowners of river transport (APSRT), and has been worked out with the concerned federal authorities. On September 17, 2013 the draft strategy was discussed at a meeting of the Expert Council of the Russian government.
The strategy’s goals are as follows:
- to ensure priority utilization of inland waterway transport in the transport system of Russia;
- to create the conditions for switching loads from overland transport to inland water transport,
- to enhance the competitiveness of inland waterway transport versus other modes of transportation;
- to improve the availability and quality of inland water transport for shippers;
- to provide social functions and safety of inland waterway transport for passengers.
The program’s objectives also include the shifting of freight flows from rail mode to IWT during peak summer seasons, coinciding with the navigation period of river shipping companies, bulk (construction) loads are proposed to be hauled on the routes of inland water transport. An important objective of the strategy is the development of export and transit potential of the Unified Deep Water System of Russia (UDWS).
The strategy has been prepared in two scenarios of development - innovative and baseline scenario. As Tatiana Pantina, Prorector of the State University of Maritime and River Transport and one of the drafters said the economic effect in the innovation and base scenario is estimated at RUB 1.28 trillion and RUB 932 billion, respectively.