Turkey, Russia to agree on Black Sea rail ferry

Turkey and Russia are expected to sign an intergovernmental agreement on a rail ferry connection between the ports of Samsun in Turkey and Kavkaz on the Kerch Strait on Russia's Black Sea coast during the visit of Turkish President Abdullah G??l to Moscow in December, the Turkish Daily News has learned.

"We are working to connect Kavkaz and Samsun, both port cities that have access to railways, with a ferry connection. Our aim is to develop rail and road systems in the Black Sea region," Aleksandr Davidenk, head of the Federal Agency for Marine and River Transport at Russia's Ministry of Transport said yesterday at Yugtrans-2008 maritime conference in Istanbul.

Alternative transport routes

The plan to connect Samsun and Kavkaz by a rail ferry link comes at a time when the pressure on Russian roads and shortage of port facilities for large deliveries has attracted criticism in several countries trading with Russia.

An official of the Russian Ministry of Transport said the new rail ferry connection aims to increase trade between Turkey and Russia and enable large deliveries.

"However more importantly, the new connection aims to take pressure off the roads, which, combined with ferries, are currently the main transport route in southern Russia. We are also keen to find a more environmentally friendly solution to transportation in the Black Sea region," she told the TDN on the sidelines of the conference.