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AS TRADE WITH IRAN SOARS RUSSIA INVESTS IN THE VOLGA-DON CANAL
DETAIL INFORMATION
Small freighters can travel between the Caspian Sea and the Sea of Azov via the 63-mile Volga-Don Canal, a narrow but important waterway that connects the two river systems (and onwards to the high seas). Marine traffic is transported up and over the slight hill separating the two canals using a network of 13 locks. An iconic part of Russia's inland trade are the Soviet Volga-Don-class freighters, which were constructed specifically for the canal's dimensions. However, these vessels are only permitted to have a maximum load of around 5,000 tonnes and a draught of 12 feet (and just 3,000 tonnes in some shallow sections of the Volga and Don, according to Bloomberg). When the canal freezes over in December, wintertime navigation typically comes to a stop.