Putin launched a ferry in case of a blockade of Kaliningrad
The Russian flag was raised today in the port of Ust-Luga on the country's first dual-fuel ice-strengthened cargo ferry "Ags4" "Marshal Rokossovsky", designed for transporting Russian standard trains, as well as auto trailers and cars.
It will make its first voyage with a full load to the Kaliningrad region to the port of Baltiysk. The ship's arrival is expected tomorrow. Russian President Vladimir Putin took part in the flag raising ceremony.
“Ferry service for the Kaliningrad region is the only type of regular communication with the rest of the territory of the Russian Federation, which does not depend on the policies of neighboring states. Putting a new ferry on line will significantly improve the logistics accessibility of our region in the face of potential restrictions on travel through the territory of neighboring states and will help eliminate the risks of the lack of alternative routes for the delivery of socially significant goods that now come from the Baltic countries,” said Governor of the Kaliningrad Region Anton Alikhanov.
He expressed hope that the second ferry will be launched soon. In response, the President of the Russian Federation advised the Baltic countries not to blockade the Kaliningrad region.
“I want to emphasize: we have no bad intentions towards our neighbors. I would also advise them not to escalate the situation, not to introduce any restrictions. We are fulfilling all our obligations and will continue to fulfill them. We see no need to escalate the situation or worsen our relations. All our actions arise exclusively in response to some unfriendly actions towards the Russian Federation. I think everyone should think about normalizing relations and collaborating normally. Projects of this kind simply increase logistical independence. We will continue to work on this,” Putin said.
He emphasized that although the ferry was built with the participation of foreign partners, it was based on Russian technological solutions.
“If someone does not want to cooperate with us within the framework of a single cooperation and harms himself in this way, he will, of course, harm us. But what? We will have to shift some projects a little to the right and acquire additional competencies, as we did, for example, in aviation. But we will still solve the problems that we face, and even ultimately benefit from this, because we will acquire additional competencies. We are capable of solving such problems!” Putin said.
Putin Launches Ferry in Case of Kaliningrad Blockade