The Ural Ship-Repair Plant is one of the oldest major industrial sites in the area. And in the last five years, we could only host tugboats with a draft of no more than 70-80 centimeters.” “But since then, water levels have kept falling. The bay was crowded with all sorts of ships and barges,” explains Vladimir Samsonov, director of the Ural Ship-Repair Plant. “Some 10-15 years ago, water levels in the bay were so high that we could host deep-draft vessels in need of repair. A spark of life only glimmers in a huge shop where a few men operate some old, steampunk-style machines. Among these wrecks are lots of rusting machines with unclear purpose, as well as slips – often overgrown with grass – along which vessels used to be launched into the river. Some of the vessels have fallen apart to such an extent that it is immediately clear they will never sail again. Such professions as ship-repair mechanic and river pilot are going extinct since their place of work is physically disappearing.Ĭhapayev Bay with its wrecks of motorboats and barges scattered around a flat riverbank is a ready location for a post-apocalyptic movie. Over the past five years, the Ural River’s level has dropped so much that it seriously impedes river traffic.
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