The shallow Kerch Strait, with a length of 40 and a width of 15 kilometers, connects the waters of the Sea of Azov with the Black Sea. The eastern coast of the strait is the Taman Peninsula, which belongs to Russian territory, and the western - the Kerch Peninsula, which belongs to the Ukrainian Crimea. Deep water is more concentrated at the beginning of the strait, the largest deepest point is 18 meters. The depth of the middle part is not
exceeds seven meters. For shipping, at the end of the 19th century, a canal was dug in these places along which the fairway is currently passing. The largest port is the Crimean city of Kerch.
The Kerch Strait is a golden place for fishing for marine fish. Throughout the year, huge schools of fish migrate from one sea to another: hamsa, Kerch herring, mackerel, mullet, horse mackerel, mackerel, sturgeon, tyulka, etc. It is especially numerous in the spring. In places of shallow fish can be scooped with ordinary buckets.
The Kerch Strait is rich in natural resources. On the pebble coast you can find deposits of blue clay, which is used for cosmetic purposes, and shells of the oldest mollusks with minerals of kerchenite. And high cliffs reveal layers of iron ore.
The Kerch Strait is an eyewitness to many incidents. In the ancient era, Hellenic culture flourished here, at the beginning of the last millennium, Prince Igor crossed through it after a trip to Constantinople. There were pirate on these shores
ships of the Genoese, Venetians, Turks. Repeatedly in the Kerch Strait, military battles took place over the territory (Russian-Turkish war, revolutionary events in Russia, the Great Patriotic War).
Currently, the strait is used for peaceful purposes. This is the most important transport route that connects not only two states, but also the countries of southeastern Europe, central Asia and the Caucasus. The ferry across the Kerch Strait was opened in 1955 and is currently an important artery of highways in the Russian and Ukrainian territories. It connects the Ukrainian port of Crimea and the Russian Caucasus. Over the past 15 years, the question of building a bridge over the strait has been raised several times. But due to insufficient funding, features of the seabed, the high cost of the project and the political differences of the two states, ideas still remain on paper.
The ferry across the Kerch Strait is located in the narrowest place. Passing the economic crisis and environmental problems, the shipping company transports more than one million tons of cargo and about 450,000 passengers during the year. This makes it possible to reduce the number of kilometers of roads crossing people. Currently, rail transport, which is carried out by two pieces of equipment, has also been restored.
For a quick crossing from the Russian Krasnodar Territory to the Crimean nature reserve zone of Ukraine, you only need a passport and a ticket. For the transport of a vehicle (car, bicycle, motorcycle) an additional fee is charged depending on the size. Crossing on a regular bus will cost half as much as on personal transport. It is free to carry goods weighing up to 25 kilograms. The ferry operates from 4.00 to 1.00. In the summer season, two ferries run.