Massive dredging of the Dnipro River is needed to restore navigation depths and profitable river transport

Massive dredging of the Dnipro River is needed to restore navigation depths and profitable river transport, Alexey Vadatursky, general director of Nibulon, tells reporters. Currently, the real depth of the Dnipro is 20% below the official depth of 3.65 meters. This forces barges to travel with 65% loads. With these load factors, moving grain by barge from Kremenchuk to the Black Sea – about 600 km – cost 50% more than moving the same loads by train. If barges could run at 100% capacity, river transport would be 12% cheaper than rail, he said. Nibulon is doubling its river fleet to 100. In 2020, it plans to carry 4 million tons of cargo – or 60% of its production – by river.