KALININGRAD, September 27. /TASS/. The West seeks to make transporting goods to the westernmost Kaliningrad Region from other Russian regions as troublesome as possible in order to isolate the exclave, Russian Presidential Aide, Chairman of the Maritime Board Nikolay Patrushev said at a meeting in the Kaliningrad Region.
"In order to isolate the Kaliningrad Region and disrupt transportation to/from Russia’s mainland, Western countries are going to great lengths to obstruct freight and passenger transit to Kaliningrad. Currently, land transportation of goods critical for the functioning and economy of the region is restricted in regard to 80% of the commodity list," he said.
Patrushev went on to say that in the current circumstances, the bulk of automobile and railroad cargo traffic to/from the Kaliningrad Region had to be redirected to sea routes.
"Work is underway to redirect diesel fuel, cement, crushed stone and other cargoes to the specialized tanker fleet, bulk carriers and dry cargo ships," he said.
Ferry quandry
The Baltiysk - Ust-Luga ferry route is now the only operating transportation artery used to deliver cargoes to Kaliningrad bypassing the land territories of unfriendly countries.
"In order to increase the volume of shipments necessary to ensure the functioning of the Kaliningrad Region, it was decided to build two ferries, capable of carrying both trains and automobiles, at the production facilities of the Zvezda shipyard. The scheduled completion date is 2028," the Russian presidential aide said.
The infrastructure for train ferries is being developed in Baltiysk and Ust-Luga so as to increase the carrying capacity of the ferry route. The first stage of the Pionersky shipping terminal has been launched. This structure is expected to become one of the largest in northwest Russia. The terminal’s capacity will be up to 225,000 passengers and up to 80,000 cargo vehicles per year.
"However, it is important to work out how building products needed for the construction of the maritime terminal will be delivered," he said.
Patrushev recalled that the federal authorities decided to subsidize maritime freight transportation in order to curb prices for goods in the Kaliningrad Region.
"However, we are experiencing problems with paying out this money to carriers in a timely manner," he said.
According to Patrushev, another important task is to increase the capacity of the Baltiysk train ferry complex in the wake of the surging demand for such transport services.