Virtually all the infrastructure at the Volga-Don ports dates from Soviet times. These facilities are currently operating at about 10 percent capacity, according to port managers. As a result, they could easily handle a significant increase in traffic. The drawback to existing facilities, however, is that they are not equipped to handle specialized cargoes. Weather and shallow water also impose limitations.
Winters are harsh as a result of the region's cold, continental climate.
The Volga-Don Canal closes to commercial traffic around the first of November and does not reopen until April. While service is available downstream from Volgograd to Astrakhan, the river upstream closes to navigation for the winter, as well. In European Russia, this system not only links the Black and Caspian seas with each other, but with the Baltic Sea, the White Sea, and the Arctic Ocean. The volume of cargo moving on Russia's inland waterways has fallen dramatically in recent years, from more than 300 million tons in 1992 to 98.8 million tons in 1996. The inland waterway system is administered by 15 state-owned operating authorities, which are funded from the state budget.