The port "Kavkaz" acquired special importance against the backdrop of turbulent political events at the beginning of this year. There is reason to believe that after the change in the status and nationality of the Crimean peninsula, the load on the ferry service that has existed here for more than half a century will increase many times over.
From history
Port "Kavkaz" was built in 1953 in order to carry out cargo and passenger transportation to the Crimean peninsula. It is located on the so-called Chushka Spit, a small narrow strip of land in the Kerch Strait. To protect against waves, the water area of the port was fenced with breakwaters. To ensure railway communication, the Kavkaz station of the same name was also built here. The ferry port "Kavkaz" - the port "Crimea" was planned in such a way that, in addition to transporting trains, it ensured the delivery of cars and passengers to the port of the city of Kerch. The port infrastructure provided passenger transportation through the Kerchthe strait until the end of the eighties of the last century. Freight train crossings continued a little longer. Then they were also discontinued due to wear and tear of the ferry vehicles. In the future, the port "Caucasus" provided only the transportation of passengers and road transport.
Today
The transportation of freight cars through the Kerch Strait resumed about ten years ago. This became possible after the commissioning of new ferries and the reconstruction of the port infrastructure (2004). And since the summer of 2010, passenger traffic has stabilized. The ferry "Port" Kavkaz "- Kerch Marine Station" (route) began to operate three flights a day.
Change port profile
The economic recovery of the last decade has required a significant change in the entire direction of the port, originally built only to provide a ferry service. After the modernization, the port "Kavkaz" acquired a new status and began to play a significant role in ensuring the foreign trade of the Russian Federation. To do this, it was necessary to build a number of new terminals and auxiliary structures designed for the storage and loading of products from the chemical and oil refining industries. All this was necessary to ensure export deliveries in accordance with the concluded contracts. But, unfortunately, open storage and transshipment of mineral fertilizers and other bulk cargoes have led to a significant deterioration inenvironmental situation in the area of the Chushka Spit and in the waters of the Kerch Strait.
New Development Direction
In recent years, in addition to the traditional direction to Kerch, the port of "Kavkaz" has become the starting point for two new ferry lines. Since February 2009, a railway ferry service to the port of Varna in Bulgaria has been successfully operating. It is served by modern ferry ships "Avangard" and "Slavyanin", which are capable of receiving about fifty medium-sized railway cars in one trip. The main cargoes are oil products, liquefied gas and building materials. And since the autumn of 2011, a ferry line to the Turkish port of Zonguldak has been put into commercial operation. The ferry "ANT-2" runs in this direction once a week and transports mainly vehicles with passengers. This is a convenient way to get to the popular Turkish resorts of the Mediterranean coast for those who, even on vacation, do not want to part with their car. Given the popularity of Antalya among Russian tourists, this direction is very promising.
Against the backdrop of recent events in the spring of 2014
After the transfer of the Crimean peninsula under Russian jurisdiction, the transport communications passing through the port of "Caucasus" has greatly increased in its significance. The ferry, whose timetable in earlier years depended heavily on the season, is now becoming a strategically important means of communication withreturned to Russia as a peninsula. The load on the Kerch ferry crossing has already increased to a large extent. And it would be quite logical to assume that the flow of goods and passengers through it will only increase in the near future. It will reach its maximum load at the height of the traditional tourist season. The situation is greatly complicated by the fact that the railway communication through Ukraine in the direction of the Crimea is under a big question. With the flow of passengers at the height of the tourist season, the Kerch crossing may not be able to cope. The issue of launching new ferry facilities from the ports of Anapa and Novorossiysk is currently being considered. They will be sent, bypassing Kerch, to the ports of Sevastopol, Y alta and Feodosiya.
Prospects for the Kerch crossing
The issue of building a bridge connecting the Crimea and the Caucasus was repeatedly raised in the era of the USSR, but it was not even possible to come close to the concrete implementation of this intention. The bridge across the Kerch Strait is currently under development. In technical terms, this project is very difficult, it must provide reliable road and rail links between the mainland and the peninsula. In addition, unhindered maritime navigation through the Kerch Strait in the direction of the Sea of Azov and back must be ensured. The construction of such a complex engineering facility cannot be completed in a short period of time. But even after the bridge is built, the ferrythe crossing "Port "Caucasus" - port "Crimea"" will remain the most important transport communication. It has long gone beyond its original design purpose and has become an important link in the foreign trade of the Russian Federation. It is a transport and transshipment hub in many schemes of export and import operations. Currently, the port's annual cargo turnover has come close to eight million tons. Thus, the port of Kavkaz will not lose its significance even after trains and cars go along the new bridge across the Kerch Strait.
