OREANDA-NEWS. January 12, 2009. In 2008, the ports of the Azov-and-Don Basin handled 19.054 million tonnes of cargo (-10.8%, year-on-year). In December, the ports handled 766,100 tonnes of cargo (-28%, year-on-year).

The administration attributes the decrease to a number of reasons including unfavorable navigation conditions in early 2008, tightening of requirements to vessels (like age limit initiated after shipwrecks in November 2007 in the Kerch Strait), introduction of export duties for grain (from February 2008 – to 40%), negative impact of the global economic crisis.

The length of waterways within the competence of the Azov-and-Don Basin Administration is 800 kilometers.