UTD introduces total ban on moving freights across Kerch Strait and restriction for buses

The United Transport Directorate (UTD) has closed the Kerch Strait ferry crossing for all types of freights carried by light commercial vehicles and imposed restrictions on regular buses, hoping that this measure will provide more space on the ferries for personal cars and increase the carrying capacity of the ferry crossing.

During the past day, the ferries made 106 voyages across the Kerch Strait in both directions. At 10:00 a.m., more than 3000 vehicles were waiting for their turn to enter a ferry at the ports "Crimea" and "Caucasus".

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the problem of transportation to the Crimea peninsula escalated after Crimea had joined Russia. The Kerch ferry crossing fails to cope with the flow of goods and people travelling to and from the peninsula.

Starting from now, light commercial vehicles will be redirected to the freight ferry lines "Novorossiysk-Feodosiya" and "Temryuk-Kerch Fishing Port", if the number of vehicles from one or another side of the Kerch ferry crossing exceeds 500 vehicles.

The total ban on the passage through the Kerch ferry crossing of all bus routes, including charter busses, will come into force on August 18, at midnight Moscow time. Starting from 12:00 a.m. Moscow time of August 15, the Kerch ferry crossing introduces restrictions to the passage through the strait for all regular buses.

According to the UTD, if the situation at the ferry crossing stabilizes, the ban on bus routes will be lifted.