SAKHALIN-MAINLAND FERRIAGE RESUMES








KHABAROVSK, MARCH 10, 2001. /from RIA Novosti's Anatoli Ilyukhov/ -- Sea ferriage resumed between island Sakhalin and the Pacific coast of the Russian mainland after a blizzard stopped it for four days, reports the Far Eastern regional office of the federal Ministry for Emergency and Calamity Relief.


	All the five ferries are delivering cargoes, mainly coal, to the island from the Vanino seaport. The first 46 carloads have brought fuel for the Sakhalin power plant to the island port Kholmsk. It will take another five days or longer to put an end to freight congestion in the Vanino rail.


	All Sakhalin airfields resumed work three days ago, and traffic resumed on the basic highways in a greater part of the island. Road cleaning presents the greatest challenge in the Nevelsky district, with bad landslides.


	Relief works are going on in Sakhalin and the Kuril islands. Total blizzard damage is evaluated at more than 110 million roubles, slightly below four million US dollars.