Page:NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE SURVEY 18; CZECHOSLOVAKIA; TRANSPORTATION AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS CIA-RDP01-00707R000200110013-9.pdf/19

APPROVED FOR RELEASE: 2009/06/16: CIA-RDP01-00707R000200110013-9

Conventional tow; 2,195-h.p. tug pulling two 600-ton barges.

Modern pusher tow; 2,135-h.p. towboat pushing a 800-ton dumb barge.

FIGURE 7. Elbe river tows (U/OU)

minutes and the variation in lift is from 5.0 to 26 feet. On the Vltava and Lateralni Kanal most locks are parallel and double chambered; there are no locks on the Danube. Of the estimated 100 bridge crossings, all are fixed-span structures. Most bridges are of steel construction, and none impose restrictive underbridge horizontal or vertical clearances for craft normally operating. A safety gate on the Lateralni Kanal facilitates draining the route for yearly maintenance and winter protection; it imposes no horizontal or depth restrictions. The waterways have six major ports and about 65 smaller ports and landings. The major ports are as follows: Decin, Usti nad Labem, and Melnik on the Elbe, handling mostly coal and other bulk materials; Prague on the Vltava, primarily a general-cargo power, and Komarno and Bratislava on the Danube, both handling large amounts of construction materials, scrap, petroleum and petroleum products, and manufactured items. The major ports have extensive riverside and basin wharfage adequately served by fixed and mobile cargo-transfer equipment, ample open- and covered-storage facilities, and good rail and road clearances. The combined turnovers at the two Danubian ports account for nearly 55% of the total turnover at the six major ports; Komarno and Bratislava each handle approximately 2.8 million short tons annually. On the other hand, the three major and four smaller installations on the Elbe account for over 60% of the total berthage available at the significant Czechoslovak inland ports.

The cargo fleet comprises an estimated 319 dumb barges having a capacity of 285,000 short tons and about 83 self-propelled barges having a capacity of 55,300 short tons and an aggregate horsepower of 39,700. An estimated 80 tugs provide a total of about 49,300 horsepower. In addition, there are two river-seagoing vessels, each 1,274 d.w.t., that are inventories by the Czechoslovak Danube Navigation Co. (CSPD). One of these vessels, the Lednice, lies in the blocked-off Suez Canal as a result of the Arab-Israeli war in 1967; the second vessel, the Bojnice, is operating out of Bratislava. The total number of units and total horsepower are fairly evenly distributed between the two nationalized shipping companies, but about 55% of the barge capacity is inventoried by the CSPD due to the introduction of 1,500-ton pusher units. The majority of dumb barges are 600- to 1,000-ton carriers, the most common carrier of the CSPD being the 1,000-ton unit while the 800-ton unit is the most common inventoried by the Elbe-Oder Navigation Co. (CSPLO).

Self-propelled vessels in both fleets tend to be of the same carrying capacity as the dumb barges, i.e. the most common unit in the CSPD is the 1,000-ton vessel, while most common in the CSPLO is the 800-ton craft. Modern hydrofoils are employed in regular international service on the Danube and in local tourist service between Decin and Usti-nad-Labem on the Elbe. The passenger fleet has a total seating capacity of about 2,500, fairly evenly distributed between the Danube and the Elbe fleets. Czechoslovak shipyards are collectively a very prominent builder of waterway craft (Figure 8) and special equipment among the Eastern European countries, but most of their production is exported.

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APPROVED FOR RELEASE: 2009/06/16: CIA-RDP01-00707R000200110013-9