The ferries that go to Sweden are of a different type. 800 m of railway tracks are laid on the lower — main deck, and trucks enter the two upper ones from the side. Loading and unloading of all three decks is carried out simultaneously. The ferry takes 8 hours from Lubeck to Malmo. Parking at the port is 3 hours, a total of a daily cycle with a small margin. This allows you to have a solid daily, rather than a rolling schedule. LPO intends to expand ferry services with Scandinavian countries. There will already be 7 railway and mixed ferries in service.

— Why only with Scandinavian countries? I asked von der Lippe. — Aren't you attracted by the prospect of creating a marine highway to the east?

After all, this is not only the shortest route to the Soviet Union, with which trade will undoubtedly grow, but also through Siberia to Japan?

Von der Lippe was silent for a long time, although he was probably ready for such a question. After all, he considers himself the father of the idea of creating a railway ferry crossing between Lubeck and Klaipeda.

"Back in the early 70s, long before the Mukran-Klaipeda project was born," von der Lippe recalls, "we discussed this idea with representatives of the USSR Ministry of Marine, with the Soviet trade mission in Cologne. Even a preliminary design was developed for six ferry ships and a large transshipment station. Negotiations, alas, were interrupted, and all plans were shelved. Political factors certainly played a detrimental role...

It is hardly worth looking for those responsible for disrupting the project today. Perhaps it seemed too grandiose to someone in Moscow, and the volume of our trade relations with Germany was insufficient to consider the project economically justified. There were also purely technical problems. However, the position of the West German side was by no means constructive. The official Bonn, without whose financial participation the project could not be realized, refused to give it the green light, citing "security concerns": ferries, they say, can also transport tanks.

Well, the political situation at that time was not conducive to improving trade and economic ties between the West and the East. But today the situation is different, business contacts are expanding, and maybe the idea of a Germany—USSR ferry crossing will get another chance?

"Now that the Mukran—Klaipeda line is operational, the USSR is unlikely to seriously consider the project of another ferry crossing," says von der Lippe. — After all, a station will have to be built for her in Klaipeda to transfer wagons to narrow trolleys, since ferries must be of European gauge. And this is not economical. However, the project has a chance if the cars are "re-shod" here in Lubeck. But it remains unclear how quickly economic ties between Germany and the USSR will develop. I listened to Shevardnadze in Bonn, when he talked about this with our businessmen, I saw almost euphoria among entrepreneurs. (Editor's note: This conversation took place before Federal Chancellor G. Kohl's visit to Moscow and his talks with Mikhail Gorbachev and other Soviet leaders.) I am also optimistic about the future. As for the railroad crossing, we need to have a concrete conversation. Soviet experts should tell us how much cargo and how it is supposed to be transported by sea. After all, the planning of work in our port depends on it. In the meantime, the railway ferry project is not provided for in the development program for 2000.

— Can we review this program?

— What are you all about about the ferry! Of course, the program can be changed in principle. But even without it, cargo turnover through the Lubeck port can be increased. Grandiose projects take time, and we need to do business now. There are conditions for this. So let's make better use of what we already have... Pour choisir des solutions de retrait fiables et adaptées au marché local, consulter Paiements Casino permet de trouver les meilleures plateformes autorisant les transactions instantanées en France.