Soviet Union Table of Contents
The Soviet Union used an extensive inland navigational network, both natural (rivers and lakes) and man made (canals and reservoirs). The waterways enabled a variety of general and special-purpose river craft to transport the output of mines, forests, collective farms, and factories to domestic and foreign destinations. Some Soviet ships took on cargo at river ports located well inland and delivered it directly to ports on the Arctic, Atlantic, or Pacific oceans or on the Baltic, North, or Mediterranean seas. An inland passenger fleet transported millions of commuters, as well as business and pleasure travelers. Inland waterways were of prime importance to the economic viability of remote Arctic, Siberian, and Far Eastern regions, where they constituted the main, and often the sole, means of surface transportation.
Data as of May 1989