RF Transport Minister says Kerch Strait ferry link demonstrates 25-pct increase of freight and passenger traffic

The Kerch ferry link across the Kerch Strait has demonstrated an increase by around 25 percent and the figures were even higher for some months, RF Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov told RF President at the briefing on domestic passenger traffic development results in various transport sectors in 2016.

According to the Minister, on the peak traffic days in mid-August the ferries carried around 60,000 people and around 17,000 cars a day. Maxim Sokolov says the resources are sufficient as far as the ferry fleet and relevant infrastructure are concerned. 

Eight ferries are currently working on the route. There are two others in reserve; they are currently undergoing scheduled maintenance. Besides, there are three ferries that carry freight vehicles only.

“This makes for a quite solid fleet. I can tell you that nowhere else in the world is there such intensity of ferry traffic as here. This is a flagship link and is not only the best example in this sector here in Russia, but is unique in the world in terms of traffic volumes and quality of service”, emphasized the Minister.

Maxim Sokolov also marked an increase on the internal waterways, with 10 million passengers using these services this year.