Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

The Danube-Black Sea Canal and the Russian Control over the Danube

1954; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 30; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.2307/141869

1944-8287

Nicolas Spulber,

Russia and Soviet political economy

CP UTTING across sun-scorched malaria-ridden southeast Rumania, a 44 mile long canal, uniting the lower Danube and the Black Sea, is scheduled to be opened to navigation in 1955 or earlier, after about six years of toilsome work. According to the plan, excavation should have entered its decisive phase in 1953. Now, unconfirmed reports indicate that, on the contrary, work has been sharply curtailed since the middle of that year. Officially, however, no postponement of the work has been acknowledged. In the larger perspective of trade between East Europe and the Soviet Union, the canal is considered as a link in the vast waterway system of the Danube-Black Sea-Don-Volga uniting Central and East Europe with the remote regions of the U.S.S.R. The Danube runs over 1774 miles from the heart of Europe to the Black Sea. It is navigable for 1607 miles, namely from the German town of Ulm to the Rumanian Black Sea port of Sulina. For 1477 miles, namely from the German Regensburg to Sulina, it is navigable for steamships with a low draft up to 1500 tons. Finally, from the Rumanian river port of Galati to the Sea, for a stretch of 93 miles called the Maritime Danube, the river is accessible for sea-going ships up to eight or even ten thousand tons. Its water flow is enormous, 228 billion cubic meters per year. Its longitudinal direction from west to east (different from that of other European rivers which run in various directions toward the ocean and the seas), its flow into the Black Sea, and the concentration of economic interests along its banks assures this river of an increasing importance in the transport system of the European sphere of the U.S.S.R. The biggest drawback for navigation for the entire course of the river, from Vienna to the Black Sea, lies in the Carpatho-Balkanian defile extending from the small Rumanian port of Moldova-Veche to Turnu Severin i.e., a stretch of 74 miles called the cataracts or the Iron Gates-encompassed between points situated 652 miles and 578 miles respectively upstream on the river and representing a part of the RumanianYugoslav frontier. Various improvements, consisting of the creation of channels on the rock-bound coast and an artificial canal at the Iron Gates, have been made there in the past. But tremendous difficulties remain up to the present in the way of navigation. The difficulties are the danger of the immediate presence of the rocks, the very low depth of the water, the strong currents which hit the vessels navigating through the channels, and finally the insufficient width of the channels which does not allow the simultaneous crossing of vessels up and down stream. In the artificial canal of the Iron Gates the *The opinions expressed in this article are the author's and do not necessarily represent the views of the Center for International Studies, M. I. T., with which the author is associated.