Kerch is a unique city located in the East of the Crimean peninsula. First of all, uniqueness is due to the centuries-old history of the city, which dates back to the prehistoric period. Kerch was part of several empires that ruled at different times on the territory of the peninsula. Each of these empires left its mark on the architecture of buildings that are located throughout the Crimea.
Kerch, first of all, attracts tourists with its unique geographical location: the sea coast of the city is washed immediately by two seas - Azov and Black. But in order to get to the territory of the city, it is necessary to cross the Strait of Kerch. A bridge between mainland Russia and the Crimean peninsula has not yet been built. For these purposes, ferry crossing.
Russia in the near future, in connection with the adoption of Crimea into its composition, is preparing plans for the construction of a road and railway bridge that will connect the Krasnodar Territory and the city of Kerch. Ferry crossing the Kerch Strait will already become, rather, entertainment for tourists.
Kerch: ferry, the history of creation
The first mention of the creation of the Kerch port dates back to the end of the 18th century, when Empress Catherine II promised the neighboring Greeks that a “free and free port” would be organized on the territory of Kerch. But the promise was already fulfilled by another Russian emperor Alexander I, who signed the decree of 1821 on the creation of the port. From this moment, the port in the city of Kerch, ferry crossings originate.
The first bridge between the mainland and the peninsula was built during the Great Patriotic War. The construction of the bridge was made from building materials that were abandoned by the retreating Germans, who had previously tried to build a crossing to the Taman Peninsula. But this bridge served no more than a year. Already in early 1945, he received damage from the movement of ice from the Sea of Azov. Then again, the ferry crossing through Kerch began to carry out its duties of sending people from the peninsula to the mainland of the RSFSR.
By ferry today, thousands of people and hundreds of cars are transported from mainland Russia from the port of Kavkaz to the port of Crimea in the city of Kerch. The ferry between the ports, its length is about 5 kilometers, and the journey time takes about half an hour.
Operation of a railway ferry
Until 1990, ferries carried not only passengers and vehicles, but also rolling laden trains. For these purposes, in 1951, the first series of Zapolyarny and Nadym vessels was built, and later the Chulym and Severny vessels were put into operation. These vessels were capable of simultaneously transporting 32 biaxial loaded wagons from the mainland to the peninsula in the city of Kerch. The ferry, unfortunately, did not function for long.
Already in the late 80s of the 20th century, part of the railway ferries built began to fail. After the collapse of the USSR, financing of the maintenance of existing ferries and the construction of new ones was completely stopped. There were attempts to restore the railway ferry. To do this, in 2002, a ferry of the same name “Sakhalin-6” arrived at the port of Kerch from the Sakhalin Peninsula. The crossing for the trains has not been restored. The reason for this was that the technicians had not completely calculated the subsidence of the vessel. It gave sediment in water to a depth of 4 meters, and with the load sank to a depth of 9 meters. With such characteristics, the ship was unable to work in the Kerch Strait. Rail ferry traffic was restored only in 2004
Ferry for cars
The first ferry "Kerch-1" for the transport of vehicles began its work in the Kerch Strait in 1975. It was built at the Riga Shipyard. Later, at the same factory, the second Kerch-2 steam was built.
The construction of such ferries was primarily planned as icebreaking ships. Thus, winter navigation of ship traffic was simplified. One of the ferries, together with cargo, cars and passengers, served as an icebreaker, in turn, the second ferry could act as a guide for cargo ships sailing along the channel of the strait. Over time, all ferries also required repairs and restoration, but due to lack of funding, no action was taken, and the last surviving Kerch-1 auto ferry was reclaimed in 2012.
Ferry for road and rail transport in the Kerch Strait today
Due to the condition of the entire fleet of ships that have become unusable and subsequently disposed of, several ferries have been repaired and purchased to ensure the movement of goods:
For transporting vehicles
- It was purchased by the ANT-2 steam, which can simultaneously accommodate up to 80 vehicles.
- The Yeisk and Kerch-2 ferries have been restored and operate.
For rail transportation
- Petrovsk and Annenkov ferries, which operate between the ports of the Caucasus and Crimea, were launched by one of the Russian companies to ensure railway transportation.
- “Slav” and “Vanguard” - these two ferries were delivered on flights for the supply of liquefied gas to the territory of Bulgaria.
Passenger traffic on the Kerch Strait
Among the ferry services carried through the Kerch Strait, passenger flights account for the first place. The number of passengers crossing the strait in the summer season increases tenfold. First of all, due to the mass of tourists who are trying to get to the resorts of Crimea from the territory of the Russian Federation .
For this, the ferry ferry "Kerch-Caucasus" carries out daily transportation of passengers excluding holidays and weekends. The passenger ship traffic interval is about 30 minutes.
Procedure for passengers transporting cars in ports at ferry crossings of the Kerch Strait
Like any shipping, the ferry service regulates its transportation for passengers.
Many tourists before the trip searched for information of interest to them, formulating their request succinctly: “Crossing Kerch, Russia”, in order to find out the requirements and tariffs for crossing a ferry in the Kerch Strait.
For those wishing to transfer from one port to another, passengers must observe the following requirements:
- Ferry line occupation. It should be remembered that the line for the transportation of cars and passengers is separate from the line for freight and public transport.
- Receipt of a receipt for payment for the car transportation from a ferryman. The receipt shows all the data of the car (car length, data from the technical passport) and all passenger data
- Payment at the ticket office of the ports of receipts. Waiting for a car entry signal for loading.
You should also be aware that the length of the vehicle will affect the cost of transportation. Tariffs are set for the transportation of three categories of cars on a ferry:
- For cars up to 4.2 meters.
- For cars over 4.2 and less than 5.1 meters.
- If the car has a length exceeding 5.1 meters.