Coast sunken ships

Court rzhaveyuschie at the bottom of the Volga, dangerous for the region's ecology
Recently, specialists Saratov region waterways and shipping and found another ship flooding in the Volga River. Now appear in the official list of about 70 Volga "Titanic".

Mine at the bottom
But this list of wrecks far from complete. One can only guess about the environmental damage caused by them.
Ship in the Saratov region maintained since 1998. During this time managed to raise or collect 78 flooded, poluzatoplennyh or even simply abandoned on the shore craft. Yet the river does not become cleaner, since every year only on the Volga River Saratov station detected the water area to a dozen new orphan sites.
First of all it was a barge and motor ships, flooded in recent decades. But, according to rechnikov if good look, then, for example, between Saratov and Engels can be found even wheel steamships, and run a hundred years ago. There are details that one of the pillars near the road bridge lies at a depth of the icebreaker, built in 1896, a railway bridge in the area - even downing German planes. Got same last year at al-side mini gelsskoy minesweeper. Now it is already raised, but lie at the bottom of other vessels, and they also constitute a mine in slow motion. Vzorvutsya not explode, but a lot of harm from them. For example, last year at the side of the exercise engelsskoy teploho-wild with children on board came too close to the shore and sat directly on the sunken ship as aground.
Yet the main problem is that for decades in the Volga water decomposition occurs hundreds of thousands of tons of metal (there are ships weighing 150-200 tons and counting). We should not forget that that the Volga is the major source of drinking water supply in a number of cities in the area, including most of Saratov.
-- Of the tanks had already raised objects were recovered more than 70 tonnes of fuel - told "RG" Assistant Attorney Saratov inter environmental prosecutors Vladimir Fedotov.
In particular, upright wheeled boat "May 1" were 8 tons of fuel oil, in one of the oil barges - 20 tons, and in the motorboat "Professor Mechnikov" -40 tons of petroleum products. All these "supplements" Volga during the year offset by the water area.

Court without owners
Most objects significant in the "underwater list", not owners. But even when it is known that found breast-metal when the number of one or another organization, forcing the owner to discard the ship is unrealistic. Thus, after the bankruptcy, with factory-boromehanicheskogo 650 - tonne dry cargo, flooding in line Saratov, too, was suddenly abandoned.
-- Initially, the plant otpisyvalos leadership that there is no money for marine works. Then the ship disappeared altogether with the balance of the company. Nor was it and to be placed on a competitive bidding mass - says head of department oversight of the water and security TCU Rosprirod-management oversight of the Saratov region Vladimir Syrov.
However, with recent regulatory structures have appeared very effective lever of influence on the owners of scrap. In March last year was registered method of determining the environmental damage caused by wrecks.
-- When environmentalists have been able to assess the specific amount of injury (for example, in the 5 million rubles), as soon became clear that the ship will raise cheaper than paying the sanctions - Vladimir Syrov said.

Iron catch
At the end of 1990 - ies from the federal ekofonda in the area were raised about a dozen sites. But with its liquidation work to clean up the Volga water area of scrap an impasse. Today substantive work to rid the Volga from miro iron perform entrepreneurs. Constantly increasing demand for the metal made this work profitable.
According to the rechnikov, although this business requires a great deal of attachment capabilities, but brings good profits. Nevertheless, as this is, but want to earn money by making good business, is becoming smaller. If even five years ago in the area formally worked 4-5 firms involved in recovery of sunken ships, this year its intentions to clear Volga said only two.
And every case to the unescapable bureaucratic tsepochke.Chtoby achieve permission to recycle crafts, legal business today requires an average of about one year. "Welcome" will be retrieved from the vast number of instances diverse, ranging from rybinspektsii (which, incidentally, is not currently his unit in Saratov, but because the harmonization of accounting documents sent to Astrakhan) and finishing with hydro-methyl, leading to contamination monitoring Volga .
-- We started the paper work in November last year and only finished its June 4 - told "RG" Sergei Byaygo, deputy general director of one of the firms starting to master the bottom of the Volga.

Meanwhile
Another serious problem for entrepreneurs engaged in recovery vessels are hunters for the metal, illegally operating on poluzatonuvshih sites.
-- These pirates cut top, and then ship the remains of silt. When it remains a "sole", significantly increasing costs, - explains businessman with experience Vladimir Kulapin.
In addition to raise the vessel and more difficult and expensive (with pumps for pumping water from the pontoon holds and no longer oboydeshsya - would require a powerful Floating), it remains the least valuable metal. And often just becomes economically disadvantageous deal with disposal of such objects.
It happens that life "nurses Volga" complicates the sudden emergence of the owners of sunken ships. Prior to the recovery of their most frequently afternoon with fire syschesh not, but after citizens to actively express their rights to the pile of iron and trying to get a reduction of its share of entrepreneurs. If the parties do not come to a consensus, work can stand for long.
According to Assistant Attorney environmental Vladimir Fedotov, it would be appropriate to allow to go to court to demand for recognition of the right to not only abandoned floating municipalities, but also other interested persons. The more so that local authorities the right most often do not enjoy. Perhaps, then cleaning Volga shores would have gone faster.

Commentary
Gennady Medvedev,
Head of State Inspection on small ship Saratov region:
-- In his time in Golden Beach and we have the barge to repel waves. Then someone with her srezal top, and left only the lower part. Because the facility is located within the beach, he naturally poses a risk to holidaymakers. Many wrecks in Mar ksovskom, Volsky, Balakovs-com areas, as well as around Green Island in Saratov. If such a vessel to cut the upper part, by a low-water it can still be considered. But when the water rises, anything can happen. In the best case, the boat engine fails. At least, at Sazan-kay is in the past year.
The Regional Committee of Environment and Nature Management has prepared a draft programme of environmental sanitation area. However, the document questions from the cleaning of reservoirs wrecks reflect not found. As explained by a correspondent of "WP" head of the department of environmental programmes targeted Committee Viktor Manaenkov because Volga is a federal facility, and then solve the problem, in his view, it is necessary at the federal level ...

Alexander Lutsenko