SOVIET WATER TRANSPORT EMPHASIZES SHIPMENT OF CONSUMERS' GOODS, AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000700150354-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 12, 2011
• Sequence Number: 354
• Publication Date: December 14, 1953
• Content Type: REPORT

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CLASSIFICATION CONFIDENTIAL
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION FROM
FOREIGN DOCUMENTS OR RADIO BROADCASTS
COUNTRY USSR
SUBJECT Economic - Water transport, shipment of
HOW consumers' goods
PUBLISHED Daily newspapers
WHERE
PUBLISHED USSR
DATE
PUBLISHED 9 Sep - 8 Oct 1953
SUPPLEMENT TO
REPORT NO.
SOVIET WATER TRANSPORT EMPHASIZES SHIPMENT
OF CONSUMERS' GOODS AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS
this report presents information on shipments of consum-
ers' goods and agricultural products by Soviet water transport,
as reported in Soviet newspapers between 9 September and 8 Oc-
tober 1953. Included is data on shipments along the Amur,
Yenisey, Pechoru, Vu..ga, Kama, and Vyatka, and Dnepr rivers,
on the Caspian Sea, and in the Arctic area.
Numbers in parentheses refer to appended sources]
According to the Ministry of the Maritime and River Fleet, the actual
weight of consumers' goods being carried by water transport in the USSR at
present is less than that carried before the war in 1940.(1)
Amur River
Caravans of ships loaded with consumers' goods, agricultural machinery,
and fishing equipment are sailing from the ports of Sretensk. Surazhevka,
Blagoveshchensk, Komsomol'sk-na-Amure, and Khabarovsk. These cargoes are
being shipped to kolkhozes in Amurskaya Oblast and Chitinskaya Oblast and to
the fish and kolkhoz workers on Sakhalin and the Okhotsk seashore. Kerosene,
ligroin, and lubricating oil are being shipped to kolkhozes, sovkhozes, and
MPS by barge from Khabarovsk, Blagoveshchensk, and Komsomol'sk. Tractors are
being shipped from Khabarovsk to Takhtinskiy, Ul'chskiy, and other rayons in
Nizhne-Amurskaya Oblast. These tractors are produced by the Khabarovsk and
Chelyabinsk tractor plants.
These freights are being carried by the S/S Kommunist, the S/S Suchan,
the S/S Novorossisk, the S/S Batumi, the S/S Chicherin, and the S/S Andrey
Zhdanov. The refrigerator ship M/V Dal'niy Vostok under the command of
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COIF IDE,r.TLLL
Captain Lobastov is delivering meat and sausage to points on the lower Amur
River. On the return trip they are carrying fresh fish for the populations
of Komsomol'sk, Khabarovsk, and Blagoveshchensk.(2)
Yenisey River
The navigation season is coming to an end on the Yenisey River, and the
last efforts of the Yenisey Steamship Line are being devoted to the transport
of consumers' goods.
The M/V Armeniya and M/V Kareliya have delivered hundreds of tons of
vegetables and fresh meat to arctic areas. More than 4,000 tons of consum-
ers' goods have been carried to the far north by the M/V Odessa (Captain
Selivanov).
The refrigerator ship M/V Sovetskaya Sibir' is delivering fresh food
products to the northern city of Dudinka, On the return trip the ship carries
fresh fish from the north.
From Krasnoyarsk, combines, tractors, spare parts for agricultural machin-
ery, tons of mash, and purebred horses are being shipped to Novoselovskiy,
Krasnoturanskiy, Daurskiy, Minusinskiy, and other rayons of the kray.
The industrial enterprises of the area have given considerable aid to
agriculture. The Krasnoyarsk Ship Repair Yard has produced large quantities
of fuel injectors for tractor internal-combustion engines and tanks for fuel
transport; this work was done for the Kolmakovskaye MPS.
Numerous orders from kolkhozes, sovkhozes, and MPS are filled by the
Minusinsk Ship Repair Shops, the Predivirsk Shipyard, and the Podtesovsk Ship
Repair Yard.(2)
Pechora River
The chief of the Pechora River ports, Yeremin, recently called a meeting
of his clients. As a result of this meeting, orders were obtained for the
transport of 6,000 tons of consumers' goods and various other products for
arctic kolkhozes and industrial enterprises.
It was brought out at this meeting that the small steamer G. Ivanov, which
was sailing on the Usa River (a tributary of the Pechora), was unable to cope
with the increase in traffic there, and it was decided to send the large pas-
senger ship Syktyvkar on a special voyage along the Usa River. On 23 September,
the ship was dispatched with cargo for the kolkhozes and industries of the
arctic area and for reindeer herders and fishermen of the Bol'shezemel'skaya
Tundra, Nenets National Okrug, Included in the cargo were fish, construction
materials for kolkhozes, potatoes, textiles, vegetables and packing materials
for meat packing plants.
Fruit, vegetables, potatoes, meal, mash, mowing machines, winnowing
machines, and plows are being transported to areas lying along the Pechora
River.
The Shel'yayursk Ship Repair Shops are repairing and storing threshing
machines and internal-combustion engines.(2)
Volga River
At present, the Volga Freight Steamship Line has 50 ships engaged in the
transport of consumers' goods and agricultural products. The mass shipment
of potatoes has begun from Gor'kovskaya Oblast, Tatarskaya ASSR, and Chuvashskaya
ASSR. More than 100 tons of potatoes are shipped daily on cargo-passenger
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ships sailing from wharves and piers in the Gor'kiy area -- Barmino, Yurino,
Koz'modem'yansk, and others. About 4,000 tons of potatoes have been accepted
for shipment in Cheboksary, Kamskoye Ust'ye, Perevoloka, and Tetyushi. The
M/V ST-225 has carried 212 tons of potatoes to Stalingrad.
There are, however, serious failings in the transport of consumers'
goods. Fabrics are being removed behind schedule from piers in Tutayevo,
Semigor'ye, and Kostroma.
Large quantities of agricultural machine components, produced by the Serp
i Molot Plant in Saratov, are being shipped daily from Saratov to Stalingrad,
Astrakhan', and the Kama River. Nine ships have been assigned to the trans-
port of vegetables from piers of Saratovskaya Oblast. About 3,000 tons of
watermelons, tomatoes, and cucumbers have been delivered to Saratov from Bala-
kovo, Voskresensk, Rovnoye, and other places. The ship repair yard has com-
pleted the plan for production of transmission shafts for rural flour mills.
During the past few days, vessels of express and cargo-passenger lines
have sailed from Astrakhan' with various freight for rural areas of the Oblast.
Confectionery products, macaroni, sugar, groats, canned goods, and fabrics were
included in the freight. The S/S K. S. Stanislavskiy and the S/S Komsomolets
have delivered spare parts for caterpillar tractors to Vladimirovka.
The administration of the steamship line Volga Freight and Passenger, or
Volga Freight?] has stepped up work in accordance with the directive of the
Ministry of Maritime and River Fleet USSR. From 10 to 20 September, 17,200
tons of freight were shipped; and from 20 to 28 September, 28,700 tons of freight
were shipped.
There are, however, basic shortcomings in the shipment of consumers' goods
and agricultural products. Dispatchers have not been insisting on the fulfill-
ment of daily quotas, and as a result sections of freight to be shipped one day
are carried over for shipment on the following day, and large quantities of mer-
chandise accumulate on the piers. In addition, there is not sufficient coordi-
nation of work between the Volga Freight, Kama, and Moscow-Oka steamship lines.
In the port of Kineshma 222 tons of express freight have piled up, includ-
ing 105 tons of textiles accepted for shipment to wharves along the Kama River.
Delivery of this freight must be made by cargo vessels of the Volga Freight
Steamship Line, but until 29 August, when the M/V Sovetskaya Moldaviya arrived
in port, not a single cargo ship was available for this work. In Kazan', there
are 1,708 tons of freight awaiting shipment to Kama River ports, mainly Tikhiye
Gory.
Three passenger steamers are sailing on the Kazan'-Tikhiye Gory rur.atpresent,
including the S/S Mekhanik Pogodin, which was leased to the Volga Freight and
Passenger Line by the Kama Steamship Line. This ship was recently returned to
the Kama Steamship Line for unknown reasons, but another vessel was not pro-
vided in its stead.
The Moscow-Oka Steamship Line has allotted tonnage for consumers' goods
shipment in irresponsible fashion alsc. For this reason, freight destined for
the Oka River is piling up daily on passenger stations in the Gor'kiy area.(2)
Caspian Sea
The b1/V Desna is carrying consumers' goods on the Baku-Krasnovodsk run.
The M/V Mikoyan recently delivered 230 tons of watermelons for the oil
workers at Baku; this-cargo was not handled last year by the Caspian flect.(2)
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During August and September, considerable quantities of bread grain, veg-
etables, potatoes, hay, and mineral fertilizer were shipped along the Kama
River. The Kama River Steamship Line is not, however, fulfilling the trans-
port plan for consumers' goods and agricultural products as a whole. Hundreds
of tons of produce and manufactured goods are lying on the piers. On 29 Sep-
tember, for example, there were 25 tons of vegetables awaiting shipment in
Menzelinsk and Yelabuga; in the suburbs of Rybnoye, 10 tons of potatoes had
accumulated which were to be shipped to workers in Astrakhan'; and 10 tons of
pickled mushrooms were stored in Krasniy Bor awaiting shipment to Kazan'.
In the port at Molotov, large numbers of agricultural machines are wait-
ing for transportation. From 1 to 15 September, seeders, winnowing machines,
sorting machines, mowing machines, cultivators, and other machinery stood on
the piers awaiting shipment to Okhanskiy, Yelovskiy, and Chastinskiy rayons.
As of 17 September, there were 86h kilograms of electrical equipment for the
Kolkhoz imeni Stalin (Yelovskiy Rayon) lying in the second section of the port.
In this same section, 700 kilograms of wool are waiting for transport to boot
manufacturers in Gor'kiy and Kazan'.
The work of the dispatchers is poor. The dispatchers are responsible for
the fact that ships are standing idle and ure unierloaded~and these failings
are taking on massive proportions.
In sections of the port at Molotov lie tons of freight destined for the
arctic areas; this freight is waiting for transfer to the railroad which will
carry it northward. The difficulty, however, is that the Sverdlovsk Railroad
System will. not accept the goods because they are not packed according to GOST
(State All-Union Standard) standards. The commercial section of the port and
the steamship line have written to their clients and to the railroad, but no
results were obtained and the cargo is lying on the wharves as before.(2)
Vyatka River
The Vyatka Steamship Line is not making a sufficient effort to transport
consumers' goods. They lie on the piers by the month and are in transit for
long periods of time.
The port at Kirov was to ship more than 2,000 tons of meal during August
and September; not more than one third of this amount has been shipped. In
addition, 9 tons of textbooks had accumulated in the port as of 26 September.
The shipment of consumers' goods from the piers at Kotel'nich is no better.
As.of'26 September, the monthly plan for shipment of vegetables and; pota-
toes had been fulfilled by only 17 percent. The monthly plan for shipment of
mineral construction materials to Kirov was fulfilled by only 9.5 percent..(2)
Large quantities of freight have been shipped by the northern steamship,
companies during 1953. Tens of thousands of tons of food, manufactured goods;
and construction materials and equipment were shipped along the Kenino-Cheshka
line to Mezen', Nar'yan-Mar, Onega, and Kendalaksha.
The S/S Vyatko recently sailed along the line with a cargo of meal, vege-
tables, household articles, and groats. Lighters are delivering fuel, construc-
tion materials; and agricultural machinery to Mezen' . The cargo-passenger
steamer Yushar recently arrived in Nar'yan-Mar, completing its 15th trip of the
navigation season. This ship has delivered 6,000 tons of freight to the arctic
area.
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CONFIDENTIAL
Large quantities of potatoes, vegetables, and fruit have accumulated on
the piers at Arkhangelsk. The lighter Shuya was recently loaded with 233
tons of vegetables and apples for shipment to liar 'yan-Mar.
The organization of transport for consumers' plods is still far from satis-
factory, however. The port at Arkhangelsk and the steamship company Northern
Steamship Compani have a tendency to emphasize the shipment of goods which can
be m.ved in large batches, and not enough effort is, made to move light articles
and food products.
On 23 July, 5 tons of brick for repairs to a school building in Shoyna
were lying on the pier at Arkhangelsk. In September, the bricks were still
there. Textbooks for the schools in Mezenskiy Rayon were to be delivered by
mid-August, but were not shipped until 17 September. Toys destined for Koynda
lay in warehouses for 18 days. Cargoes of milk pails, skis, tables, and ply-
wood have been waiting for shipment to Ruch'i since August, and cargoes of sew-
ing machines and beds have been waiting since 26 August for transport to Zimnyaya
Zolotina. Furniture for commercial establishments in Nar'yan-Mar and Mezen' has
lain in warehouses for 2 months.
The directors of the port and steamship company have not seen to the con-
struction of suitable warehouses for grains and vegetables, and many cargoes
such as furniture must sit on open piers.(2)
Vessels are sailing daily from Arkhangelsk for the arctic areas. large
quantities of food, wool and silk fabrics, footwear, household articles, and
cultural materials have been delivered to Nar'yan-Mar, Mezen', Pesha, Shoyna,
Indiga, and arctic islands.
The Northern Steamship Company has put additional ships in service to speed
delivery of consumers' goods. Among them is the S/S Yelets, which has delivered
100 tons of sugar, large quantities of confectionery products, footwear, fabrics,
books, radios, and cameras to the villages along the shore of the White Sea. The
M/V Akademik Komarov is ready to leave port on a similar voyage.(3)
Dnepr River
Large quantities of vegetables, fruit. and melons are being shipped along
the Dnepr. River from Kherson, Nikolayev, and Zeporozh'yc to Kiev and other
cities.
The refrigerator ships M/V Gruziya and M/V Uzbekistan (built at the Kiev
Ship~Repair Yard imeni Stalin) are operating on the Kiev-Kherson line.' These
two ships are carrying fish, meat, and dairy products to the Ukrainian capital.
The S/S Tbilisi, S/S Nikolay Shchors, S/S Moris Torez, and S/S Matias
Rakoshi are doing similar work on the Dnerp.(4)
Since the beginning of the new harvest, river workers of the Dnepr River
have worked to deliver vegetables and fruit from Ukrainian koLkhozes and sov-
khozes to manufacturing centers.
The plan for vegetable and fruit transport has been fulfilled 160 percent.
During 1953, river workers of the Dnepr delivered 20,000 tons of watermelons to
Kiev alone from the southern oblasts of the republic. Large quantities of veg-
etables and fruit have been delivered to such industrial centers as Dneprope-
trovsk, Zaporozh'ye, Nikopol', and Dneprodzerzhinsk.
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E
50X1-HUM
SOURCES
1.
Moscow, Pravda, 10 Sep 53
2.
Moscow, Vodnyy Transport,
8 Oct
53
3.
Moscow, Trud, 9 Sep 53
4.
Moscow, Komsomol'skaya Pravda,
12 Sep 53
5.
Vodnyy Transport, 3 Oct 53
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CON^r IDE2.'TLiL
In the mid-September, the transport of the new potato harvest was begun.
The first 3,000 tons of potatoes have already been delivered from Chernigov-
skaya and Kiyevsknya oblasts to the metalworkers in Dnepropetrovsk, Dnepro-
dzerzhinsk, and Zaporozh'ye. The kolkhozes have delivered 500 tons of pota-
toes to wharves on the Desna and upper Dnepr rivers.(5)