Dnieper–Bug Canal

The Dnieper-Bug Canal ( weissruss.: Дняпроўска - Бугскі канал; Dnjaproŭska - Buhski channel) connects the two White Russian rivers Muchawez ( a tributary of the Western Bug ) and Pina ( tributary of the Pripyat ) together and has a length of about 58 kilometers.

Location

Among the 58 kilometers of the canal come further 74 km of Channeled Pina and 64 km of Channeled Muchawez, so that the total length of the waterway from bow to Pripyat is 196 km. The channel is part of the waterway from the Baltic to the Black Sea in the Dnieper - Vistula waterway E-40 Gdansk - Warsaw - Brest - Pinsk - Kiev - Kherson and overcomes the main European watershed.

The channel has ten locks. The main town on the canal is Kobryn.

History

The channel was created at the behest of the Polish king Stanisław August in 1775 and called Kanał Krolewski (Royal Canal). In 1837 the canal was extended and completed in 1846-1848. War -related destruction in World War II were restored again.

Within the framework of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (CMEA ) was transported across the Channel to Brest, from where it over the rail of the metallurgical industry in the GDR ( ironworks city) was supplied iron ore from Krivoy Rog. After German reunification, these shipments have considerably reduced (from 7 million tons in 1991 to 0.42 million tonnes in 2004 ).

Navigation

Today the Inland navigation is interrupted on the Dnieper-Bug Canal by a weir on the bow near the border town of Brest. This is the channel section in the River Muchawez in pretty poor state. Some of the locks are silted up, and the inland port of Brest can only be reached from the east.

Currently, attempts were made to define the channel as internationally important inland waterway of class IV. 2003, the Belarusian government passed a domestic and Seeschiffahrtsentwicklungsprogramm to remediate the Dnieper-Bug Canal. In particular, the floodgates would then have to renew in accordance with the Class IV standards.

The Government of Belarus ( see web link) reported on the renovation of four sluice dams and a lock, which allow the passage of ships up to 110 m long, 12 m wide and 2.2 m depth. A continuation of the reconstruction in the next few years is expected.

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