Soviet Union Table of Contents
River ports facilitated the transfer of cargo from one mode of transportation to another. Port facilities, such as piers on freeflowing rivers, have been constructed to account for the seasonal fluctuations of water levels, which sometimes reach several meters. In 1985 the Russian Republic's inland waterway ports had 162 kilometers of mooring facilities, half of which were provided with mechanized transloading equipment. The basic portal cranes were of five-, ten- and fifteen-ton lifting capacity, while containerhandling cranes, having capacities of up to 30.5 tons, were available in major ports. Floating cranes, conveyor belts, and pneumatic loading/unloading devices for grain, granular materials, and bulk cargo were in use. In 1985 river ports in the Russian Republic had 2,220 pier and floating cranes.
Data as of May 1989