Eurasia

The Volga

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Length:

3700 Km
Navigability:

Because of the building of dams for hydroelectric power, the Volga is navigable for most of it’s length.
Countries crossed:

Russia
Inland navigation authority:

Russian Ministry of transport http://www.mintrans.ru/
Traffic:

20.000.000t/year (about half of all river freight in Russia)
Main goods transported:

Grain, oil products, construction materials, wood.
Facts of importance:

Called in Russian folklore “Mother Volga”, the volga has played an important role in the Russian culture. Indeed, the Volga basin comprises 40% of the population of Russia, 45% of the country’s industry and 50% of its agriculture.
 
Until recently, access to the Russian waterways was granted to foreign vessels on a only very limited scale. The increasing contacts between the European Union and Russia have led to new policies with regard to the access to the Russian inland waterways. It is expected that vessels of other nations will be allowed on the Russian rivers soon.
Main challenges for the future:

  • -Pollution management
  • -Environmental risk management
  • -Access to the Russian waterways to foreign vessels
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