Water transport of St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg was built by Peter I in 1703 as a sea, port city. The requirement for all buildings and areas of the city was maximum accessibility by water. ^{[1] [2]} Prior to the construction of the St. Petersburg-↔ Moscow tract, transport links with the rest of Russia were carried along the Neva through the Verkhnevolozhsk water system .

In the city were built marinas, moorings, ports. Almost the entire coastline had various moorings located at a short distance from each other. All large enterprises of the city had access to water.

As of the beginning of the XXI century, the city ​​had a large number of marinas, moorings and ports. Separately, passenger and cargo maritime communications, river recreational, passenger and cargo communications, river communications with other cities were carried out.

The water area of ​​St. Petersburg allows year-round navigation. From the end of November - beginning of December to the end of March - beginning of April, the Neva Bay in the coastal areas is covered with ice. During this period, the movement of ships is provided with the help of icebreakers .

On the territory of St. Petersburg there are several seaports. The main and oldest of them is the port of St. Petersburg .

St. Petersburg Sea Cargo Port System

The Big Port of St. Petersburg is engaged in all sea transportation, which provides for the organization of merchant shipping in the seaport of St. Petersburg and beyond in the established areas of responsibility of the Russian Federation .

Passenger shipping

Passenger sea traffic is provided by ferry and cruise ships. In 1982, the Maritime Station was opened to receive ships. However, since the entry of vessels into the passenger port of St. Petersburg is difficult, some vessels arrived at the commercial port.

In 2006, during the implementation of the Marine Facade project , construction of a new cruise-ferry complex in the alluvial territories of Vasilievsky Island was started. ^{[3] [4]} . The first ship arrived at the new port in September 2008 ^[4] . As of 2011, cruise ships, as well as Princess Maria and SPL Princess Anastasia ferries, regularly depart from the terminal.

Also, from 1969 to 2011, there was a local ferry line between Lomonosov and Kronstadt . From the Lomonosov port, 2 ferry-type ferries “Andrey Korobitsyn” and “Nikolai Kaplunov” went along this route, and ferry services were carried out year-round. The ferry operated until February 2011 and was discontinued due to damage to the Andrei Korobitsyn ferry hull.

The main share of water transport accounts for river transport along the Neva, connecting the city with Lake Ladoga and being the final stretch of the Volga-Baltic waterway . Usually navigation on the Neva opens in mid-April and closes in October - November; About 7 thousand vessels pass on average on the river per year ^[5] . The dates of opening and completion of navigation on the Neva, as well as hours of building and information of bridges are determined each year by the decisions of the federal state institution “Volga-Baltic State Basin Administration of Waterways and Shipping” ( GBU “Volgo-Balt” ). The Neva's throughput should increase after the completion of the construction of the Oryol tunnel , which will increase the time for bridging.

The shipping season for the small shipping fleet in St. Petersburg lasts from approximately the end of April to November. ^[6]

River-Sea Post

Guided tours of rivers and canals

Small shipping along the rivers and canals of St. Petersburg is developed. Numerous pleasure boats serve tourists, offering tours of the city’s waterways. There are a lot of landing places for pleasure boats, each berth has a lot of motor ships, boats and motor boats. ^[6]

There are two main walking directions:

• River walk along the Neva (the usual ring route is from the Annunciation bridge to the Smolny Cathedral),
• Walking along small rivers and canals.

In addition, shipping companies provide an individual route compilation service. ^[6]

River Cruises in the Northwest and Beyond Russia

River Bus

Since the beginning of the XXI century, attempts have been repeatedly made to organize intracity water transport. In 2004, the project "river buses" was launched in St. Petersburg. These ships went daily on a schedule with stops in beautiful places. On their route there were moorings in the Peter and Paul Fortress , the Griboedov Canal at Nevsky Prospect , Stroganov Palace and Palace Wharf . Moreover, according to industry experts, they were not used as a form of public transport, but passengers used them for river walks. ^[6] In 2008, the Meteor movement opened up to Kronstadt . In August 2010, the system of urban water routes included already 4 routes. ^[7] As of 2011, water buses ran along 5 lines, but the next year the system was declared unprofitable, it was minimized, and by 2014 all lines except Primorskaya were abolished. The line will operate on October 29, 2014 ^[8] .

Also, from the marinas at the Hermitage , the Bronze Horseman and the Kunstkamera , fleet hydrofoils - Meteors and Rocket , which are not included in the city transport system (routes are considered tourist ones) go to Peterhof .

Freight River Transport of St. Petersburg