Northern Basin River Ports

the principal water-transport centers in the northern part of the European part of the USSR serving to coordinate the freight and passenger traffic along the Pechora, Severnaia Dvina, and Sukhona rivers and their tributaries, which link the ports of the industrial and agricultural regions of the Komi ASSR and Arkhangel’sk and Vologda oblasts of the RSFSR. The Pechora is open to navigation for up to 165 days a year, the Severnaia Dvina for 185, and the Sukhona for up to 192 days. As of 1974, the basin had 598 ports, landings, and stopping points under the Ministry of the River Fleet (MRF) of the RSFSR and approximately 119 docks belonging to industrial enterprises. In 1973, 69 percent of the total volume of freight handling in the basin was done at docks of the MRF system, and more than 96 percent of this work was mechanized. The freight handling at the docks of the MRF system required 6.5 percent of the MRF’s total stock of machinery.

The chief ports on the Pechora River are Pechora and Nar’-ian-Mar, and on the Severnaia Dvina, Kotlas and Arkhangel’sk. The chief port on the Vologda River, a tributary of the Sukhona, is Vologda.

The Pechora river port, established in 1942, is situated on the right bank of the Pechora River and adjoins the railroad inside the city limits. It receives timber float, which is unloaded onto the docks of industrial enterprises, mineral-based construction materials, and products of animal husbandry. It ships hard coal, equipment, industrial goods, agricultural machinery, and bulk petroleum products received by rail.

Nar’ian-Mar, a port under the Ministry of Merchant Marine of the USSR established in 1933 at the mouth of the Pechora, receives hard coal from river vessels and timber float and cargo; it ships industrial goods and food products received from maritime shipping.

The Kotlas river port, established in 1944, is situated at the junction of the Severnaia Dvina and the railroad. Its freight docks are on the left bank of the Vychegda River; the passenger area is inside the city limits. The port transships hard coal and logs received by rail onto vessels, and uses rafts and vessels to ship timber downstream.

The Arkhangel’sk river port, established in 1961, is situated at the mouth of the Severnaia Dvina. Its passenger area is on the right bank, inside the city. The area on the left bank is linked to the railroad. The port receives hard coal and timber float and cargo and ships logs from rafts by sea.

The Vologda river port is situated on the left bank of the Vologda River, 32 km from the Vologda’s confluence with the Sukhona. The port, organized in 1961 around a former wharf, is connected with the main railroad line. It receives timber cargo, mineral-based construction materials, and agricultural products for transshipment to the railroad; it ships industrial goods and food products, agricultural equipment, and petroleum products.