Mating two types of ships – sea-going large tonnage and river-going barges transferring cargoes through the canals via the Danube, Rhine and Main practically all over Europe – is possible only in a mouth port, and it is Ust-Dunaisk Port in Ukraine.
This was emphasized by Acting Director of the State Enterprise (SE) Sea Trade Port (STP) Ust-Dunaisk Yurii Martyniuk during the round table Projects of Development for Ukrainian Danube Region held on Wednesday 27 October with the participation of Vice Prime Minister on European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olga Stefanyshina and Head of Odessa Regional Administration Serhii Grynevetsky.
According to Martyniuk, there are oil and gas traffic, container transportations, carriage of cars and dry bulk cargoes actively developing in the world. There is a necessity of restoring Silk Road to link Asia and Europe. First of all, such countries as Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and China seek for the routes to access European markets. And such a possibility can be rendered to them by a river mouth port situated at the Black Sea and Danube junction. The ideal place for it is Zhebriyanska Bay where the harbourage of Ust-Dunaisk Port is situated.
It was only 30 years ago that the port handled the vessels of up to 70,000 DWT, 300 m long and with 13 m draft. The port’s potential has remained till today. Its harbour is capable to accommodate berths both for sea-going vessels from the sea and for the river-going self-propelled and non-self-propelled fleet from the river Danube. The area between should be used to lay oil and gas pipelines, to place a container terminal and storage yards. This complex should also include the Danube – Black Sea canal.
The specific plan of the port construction (there are several concepts) can be defined only after necessary researches provided and a feasibility study developed – nevertheless, it is obvious even now that there is no alternative to the mouth port.
As an example Mr Martyniuk referred to Constanta Port in Romania which in due time was practically turned into the mouth port after the canal Cernavoda – Constanta had been built from the Danube to the Black Sea.
The creation and development of a mouth port could solve the problem of a deep-water fairway from the Black Sea to the river Danube, the necessity of which would practically disappear, the Ust-Dunaisk port’s manager believes. The existing fairway in the estuary Bystre demands constant dredging which costs a lot.
A port in the Danube mouth uniting 12 European countries will be inevitably eligible and in essence will become the wide open door to Europe, Mr Martyniuk is sure.
Let’s remind you that SE STP Ust-Dunaisk is planned to privatisation by the profile ministry.
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