* * *


Danube — Oder — Elbe


A comprehensive study of this problem within the framework of the UNECE began in the 60s, and by the end of the 70s, a general concept for the construction of the DOE water transport link was formulated.


The complex of projected waterways has three branches adjacent to the Danube, the Oder and the Elbe. The Danube branch, which runs through Czechoslovakia, begins at the mouth of the Morava at an altitude of 135.5 m. In the area of Psherov, on a retaining stream with a mark of 202.5 m, the waterway is divided into the Oder and Elbe branches.


The Oder branch of the junction (119 km) rises from Psherov to the watershed of the Black and Baltic Seas to a height of 285 m (near Yesenin) and then follows the Oder riverbed to the Gliwice Canal near Kozle. The length of the canal in Czechoslovakia is 66 km, in Poland — 53 km.


The Elbe branch (172 km) in Czechoslovakia begins at Psherov. Then it rises to the watershed of the Black and North Seas passing on the Moravian Upland (height 400 m) and connects with the navigable section of the Elbe (Laba) near Pardubice (height 216.9 m). This site is completely an artificial structure.


The length of the through route from the mouth of the Danube (Sulina) to the mouth of the Oder (Szczecin) is 2867 km, to the mouth of the Elbe (Hamburg) — 3045 km. The DOE connection is designed according to the IV class of international waterways. On the entire DOE highway, the recommended minimum depth in river sections is 2.8 m, and in channels — 4 m.


The route connecting the DOE with 44 locks passes through areas with developed mining industries (coal of the Upper Silesian and Ostrava basins), centers of metallurgical, chemical, machine-building and other industries (Bratislava, Ostrava, Pardubice, etc.), areas of developed agriculture (South Moravian region). The through route will transport cargo between ports located on the Danube, Oder (Oder), Elbe (Labe) on their tributaries and on the coast of the North, Baltic, and Black Seas. The estimated volume of foreign trade cargo transportation on the canal section adjacent to the Danube is up to 40 million tons.


Investments in the construction of the connection were determined by a group of experts on economic research.


Before the construction of the DOE connection begins, the legal issues of its financing, construction and operation must be resolved between the interested parties.


* * *


Danube — The Adriatic Sea


Detailed studies of the Danube-Adriatic Sea transport link project began in the 1960s. In 1964, a combined transport route was designed in Yugoslavia between the Danube and the port of Rijeka. One option was to build a canal between Vukovar and Shamac, regulate the Sava between Shamac and Sisak, improve the navigable conditions of the Sava to Zagreb and the Kupa River to its upper reaches, and then build a 27 km long shipping tunnel through the Gorski Koter highlands to the port of Rijeka. The main link of the connection is the Vukovar — Shamats canal, 60.6 km long and 3.5 m deep (Class IV waterways).


When creating the Danube—Adriatic Sea through waterway with a capacity of 8 million tons per year, the range of transportation by river vessels from Budapest to the nearest seaport is 848 km along the Danube-Adriatic Sea (Rijeka), 1647 km along the Danube (Sulina), and 1856 km along the RMD (Rotterdam) connection. For cargo flows from the ports of the Middle and Upper Danube to the ports of the Mediterranean, the advantage of the Danube—Adriatic Sea route is quite obvious.


In 1975, a cooperation agreement was concluded between Yugoslavia and Italy in order to determine the optimal option for connecting the Danube with the Adriatic Sea in the area of the Italian port of Monfalcone. Experts from the two countries have considered 3 options for the waterway route. Preference was given to the highway running along the Vipava River and the valley of the Ljubljana River to Sava, then along the Sava and the Shamats—Vukovar canal.


The connection is designed according to the V class of international inland waterways. Its construction would have required at least 15 years. LiraSpin Casino