MINSK, 6 February (BelTA) – Belarus and Ukraine are busy working out a roadmap on developing navigation along the Dnieper River, BelTA learned from Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Vladislav Krikly on 6 February.
The official said: “We've discussed in more detail the roadmap on how we are going to develop navigation along the Dnieper River. Including in Nizhniye Zhary where the Belarusian side intends to build a port.”
In his words, the Ukrainian side is now preparing a feasibility study in order to begin bottom dredging and go through all the necessary environmental expert evaluations.
Speaking about the timeframe, the Ukrainian infrastructure minister said that a lot depends on legislation. In his words, the Ukrainian side will also have to decide on the financial model. “Bottom reinforcement work has to be done more than once. Quite a lot of cost is involved since it is necessary to keep things working, sluices and the rest. We will opt for a [financial] model depending on the shape of legislation. But certainly we would like to finish all the stages within one year,” he explained.
“As for dredging operations in some parts of the Pripyat River, we held a tender in late 2019,” the official also noted. “The work will be done to reach the specified depth we discussed during the forum of regions together with the presidents of Ukraine and Belarus. We are on schedule for now and intend to do it in late spring,” he remarked.