APPROVED FOR RELEASE: 2009/06/16: CIA-RDP01-00707R000200080003-4
The 58-mile Ferrara canal system is a group of canals radiating from the agricultural and industrial center of Ferrara and providing an alternate route to the Adriatic generally parallel to but south of the Po. The system consists of the 42-mile Po di Volano, the 3.5-mile Canale Boicelli, the 8-mile Canale Marozzo, and the 4.5-mile Canale Pollotta. Widened and deepened in recent years, the system has a total of five locks and can accommodate 1,485-ton barges. The system joins the Po at Pontelagoscuro north of Ferrara.
The Venice-Brondolo-Po waterway is an important, heavily travelled 31-mile north-south route between Venice and the Po. It is navigable by 1,485-ton craft between Venice and Chioggia and by 660-ton craft between Chioggia and the Po. Structures consist of four single-chamber locks, one double-chambered lock, and seven bridges, three of which have movable spans. Chioggia, about midway on the route, is an important waterway port with waterway connections leading westward.
A northward extension of the Venice-Brondolo-Po waterway, the Litoranea Veneta, extends northeastward from Venice along the Adriatic coast to Sdobba near Trieste and the Yugoslav border. The 76-mile waterway permits traffic to move from the Po through Venice to Italy's eastern frontier. The Litoranea Veneta is composed of a number of land-cut canals, natural channels, several lagoons, and short river stretches. Craft of 660-ton capacity can navigate throughout its length. A total of 197 miles of navigable rivers and canals branch off the Litoranea Veneta to provincial centers to the north and west. The waterway has five locks and eight bridges with movable spans.
The 19.5-mile Venice-Padova waterway is the most important in the Padova canal system, which has a total of 150 miles of mostly low-capacity but essential routes connecting Venice, Padova, Chioggia, and Vicenza. The Venice-Padova waterway, usable by 330-ton craft, is a canalized stream and has five locks and numerous bridges.
The Milan canal system has three canals, which are important transport arteries in the Lombardia region. The canals provide Milan with access to the Ticino, Adda, and Po rivers and to the lakes Maggiore and Como. The three canals are the Naviglio Grande, which links Milan with Lagodi Como (Lake Como); the Naviglio della Martesana, which connects Milan with the Adda; and the Naviglio di Pavia between Milan and Pavia on the Ticino. Although 77 miles of canals are navigable by vessels of less than 100-ton capacity, the system carries a heavy volume of traffic.
The four most important Italian lakes in descending order of commercial significance are Como, Iseo, Maggiore, and Garda. All four are located near the base of the Alps; all are long, narrow, and deep and are encircled by steep mountains. The northern part of Lago Maggiore lies in Switzerland. Passenger traffic is heavy on the lakes much of the year. The heaviest freight traffic is on 56-square-mile Lago di Como, which transports an annual tonnage ranging between 385,000 and 550,000 short tons. Lago di Iseo and Lago Maggiore each move about 110,000 short tons per year. Lago di Garda, the largest of the four, carries virtually no freight.
Natural traffic interruption factors on the waterways consist of seasonal water-level fluctuations, floods, shifting sandbars, fog, and silting. These factors at time limit navigation and may cause vessels to proceed at reduced draft, but they do not usually bring about any serious suspension of traffic on the principal routes. Ice, which is normally a threat to navigation on other European waterways, rarely occurs on Italian canals and rivers.
The inland waterway ports, with the exception of Venice, which handles large amounts of both inland waterway and maritime traffic, are largely inadequate. In general, they are meager and have rudimentary cargo-handling and berthing facilities and poor clearance. Storage facilities are sparse. In terms of short tons handled, the following were the leading waterway ports in 1970:
| Venice | 2,000,000 |
| Mantova | 800,000 |
| Ferrara | 495,000 |
| Cremona | 339,000 |
| Ostiglia | 290,000 |
| Milan | 193,000 (est) |
The inland waterway fleet in December 1971 consisted of the following vessels:
| Type | Number | Short-Ton-Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Self-propelled barges | 378 | 50,000 |
| Self-propelled tankers | 42 | 25,200 |
| Dumb barges | 348 | 50,800 |
| Dumb tankers | 34 | 17,000 |
| Tugs | 15 | 0 |
| Push boats | 7 | 0 |
| Total | 824 | 143,000 |
Almost all units of the fleet are small, low-capacity craft; only 31 barges have a capacity greater than 1,000 tons. A more recent fleet census has not been published, but the number of larger vessels, particularly tankers, is increasing.
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APPROVED FOR RELEASE: 2009/06/16: CIA-RDP01-00707R000200080003-4
