Ob-Irtysh Basin River Ports

main water-transportation junctions that organize cargo and passenger traffic along the Ob’ and Irtysh rivers and their tributaries and link industrial and agricultural regions of the country with points along the rivers. The operational period at the ports and landings of the basin lasts 120–200 days. Because of the absence of a developed railroad and highway network on the Western Siberian Plain, the Ob’-Irtysh basin river ports play an important role in organizing the transshipment and dispatch of freight for Tomsk and Tiumen’ oblasts. As of 1973 the basin had more than 260 general-use ports, landings, and stopping points and more than 150 moorages of industrial enterprises.

Intensive development of the Ob’-Irtysh basin river ports began in the early 1960’s as a result of growth in the volume of production of the petroleum and natural-gas industry in Western Siberia. The Tiumen’, Tomsk, Tobol’sk, and Surgut ports and moorings in the Omsk and Novosibirsk ports have been built. A port in Kolpashevo was under construction as of 1973. Existing freight-handling equipment provides for accommodation and servicing of all types of vessels of the modern river fleet.

In 1973 the ports and landings of the basin accounted for 9.1 percent of the total volume of loading and unloading work at moorages of the system of the Ministry of the River Fleet of the RSFSR. Of this, 95.5 percent of the operations were fully mechanized; 12.5 percent of the freight-handling machinery of the Ministry of the River Fleet of the RSFSR was used.

The main ports of the Ob’, starting from the upper course, are Novosibirsk, Tomsk, Surgut, and Labytnangi; those of the Irtysh are Pavlodar, Omsk, Tobol’sk, and Tiumen’.

The Novosibirsk River Port (founded 1936) is situated on the right bank of the Ob’, within the city limits of Novosibirsk, 2,954 km from the mouth. Outgoing cargo includes commercial goods and foodstuffs, machines, equipment, building materials, and coal; incoming cargo includes round timber, lumber, mineral building materials, and industrial and food commodities. As of 1973, the port’s share of freight-handling operations in the basin was about 15 percent. The port is linked to the railroad network by an access spur. A passenger area with a river terminal was built in 1973.

The Tomsk River Port (1963) is situated on the right bank of the Tom’ River, 68 km from the mouth. Outgoing cargo includes commercial goods and foodstuffs, machines, equipment, coal, and building materials; incoming cargo includes timber and farm products. As of 1973, the port’s share of the freight-handling operations in the basin was about 16 percent. The extraction of a sand-gravel mix and its shipment to Tiumen’ and Omsk oblasts account for 85 percent of the operations of the port. The port is linked to the railroad network. Construction of a second port facility is anticipated.

The Surgut River Port (1964) is situated on the right bank of the Ob’, 1,497 km from the mouth, within the city limits of Surgut, Tiumen’ Oblast. It is the basin’s largest port for incoming cargo. It receives commercial goods and foodstuffs, machines, equipment, and building materials for enterprises of the petroleum and natural-gas industry. With the extension of the railroad to Surgut, the port will transship freight for river points of the middle Ob* from rail cars to ships. As of 1973, a maintenance base and drydock for the fleet was under construction. Considerable volumes of building materials, equipment, and petroleum products are received at moorages of industrial enterprises. The landings of the Surgut State Regional Electric Power Plant, which is under construction, are equipped with modern freight-handling facilities, including equipment for hoisting freight weighing up to 250 tons.

The Omsk River Port (1951) is situated within the city limits of Omsk, on both sides of the Irtysh, 1,858 km from the mouth, at the point where it is crossed by the Trans-Siberian Railroad. Outgoing cargo includes grain, commercial goods and foodstuffs, lumber, coal, metal, building materials, equipment, and machines; incoming cargo includes mineral building materials, timber, and grain. The Omsk port is the largest transshipment port, accounting for 31 percent of the total volume of freight-handling operations of the basin. The right-bank and left-bank areas of the port are linked by a railroad main line. There is a modern passenger area and station.

The Tiumen’ River Port (1963) is situated on the Tura River, 188 km from the mouth, within the city limits of Tiumen’. It was of great importance during the first period of development of the oil and gas regions of Western Siberia. With the beginning of operations at the Tobol’sk River Port, the significance of the Tiumen’ port has declined. Outgoing cargo includes commercial goods and foodstuffs, machines, equipment, and building materials. It is linked with a railroad mainline. As of 1973, its share of cargo-handling was about 3 percent of the total volume of such operations in the basin.

The Tobol’sk River Port (1969) is situated in a man-made harbor on the right bank of the Irtysh, 651 km from the mouth. Outgoing cargo includes commercial goods and foodstuffs, equipment, and building materials. The port is linked with the Tiumen’-Tobol’sk-Surgut railroad mainline.

The Labytnangi Landing (1948) is situated on the left bank of the Ob’, 278 km from the mouth, at the point where the Pechora-Labytnangi railroad approaches the Ob’ River. It transships freight going from the northwestern parts of the country to points on the lower Ob’ and the Ob’ and Tazovskii gulfs (Salekhard, Nadym, Tazovskii, and others). Outgoing cargo includes commercial goods and foodstuffs, equipment, machines, and building materials; incoming cargo includes rafted timber. Freight is mainly received and dispatched at the moorages of industrial enterprises.