Triumphantly reopened ferry link between Crimea and Russia stays idle
The rail ferry link over the Kerch Strait, opened at a solemn ceremony on September 18, remains out of action, www.korrespondent.net has informed. It was admitted by Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov at a meeting with a delegation of Crimean government on October 4 in Moscow.
Since the opening ceremony of the link between the Crimea and Krasnodar Krai of Russia the ferry ship has not made a single voyage. The cause of its being still unemployed is absence of intergovernmental agreement, which would regulate operations of the link. Up to now there is only one agreement between Ukraine and Russia concerning restoration of railway service through the Kerch Strait. This document was signed by the Presidents Putin and Kuchma one year ago. But it has only a framework character, and all the details must be arranged by the governments of the two countries.
The investors of the project were Russian company Anship and Ukrainian Techinvestservice, which invested $30 million into restoration of the ferries and the rail sidings to carry the trains to the berths.
So far there is only one ferry ready for operations. The second one is being reconstructed in Sevastopol.
The rail ferry link over the Kerch Strait is reportedly out of operations since 1986.