La primera puerta para yates extranjeros en Rusia

In the fort “The Grand Duke Constantine” in Kronstadt on July 17, took place the official opening of the first Russian checkpoint for undersized and sport sailboats registered in foreign countries.

The gate allows the owners of private foreign vessels to enter the Russian port to take a walk around the city. According to official estimates, the gate will significantly increase the number of “sea” tourists in the city.

Thus, according to the news agency REGNUM, within two months of the test work the gate accepted the 300 foreign vessels. Whereas before its opening the total number of foreign yachts in St. Petersburg for the year was about 300 vessels.

As the governor of Saint Petersburg Georgy Poltavchenko notes, the paperwork takes no more than 30 minutes. Simultaneously, the customs and border control at the location can take up to 15 boats. For the trouble less operation around the clock the Russian consumer oversight, the Russian agricultural supervision, the Border Service and the Baltic Customs are responsible. Also, the fort provided a Yacht Club for 110 parking spaces.

Before the opening of the gate the foreigners had to apply for permission to enter the waters of the Neva and the Gulf directly to the Great Sea port of the city. As known, this procedure was extremely confusing and time-consuming, resulting in the loss of most potential tourists.