Only in Russia

[h-p]

They will under some circumstances escort you to the nearest ATM where you must then get the cash to pay your fine on the spot. But I don't think many German cops would make up (traffic) charges, that's the "job" of the special units who deal with protesters and football fans. For instance, chestnuts thrown at these wannabe Terminators tend to magically become cobblestones during the prosecution.

That's weird. Here you never pay fines directly to the officer, to prevent made up charges.

 

[calvinhobbes]

That's weird. Here you never pay fines directly to the officer, to prevent made up charges.

That might be because Finland doesn't get nearly as much transit traffic as Germany. The only cases of this that I've seen reported were foreign truck drivers whose vehicles were pulled from the Autobahn for safety reasons. If they'd been let go, they would never have fixed or paid anything.

 

[h-p]

That might be because Finland doesn't get nearly as much transit traffic as Germany. The only cases of this that I've seen reported were foreign truck drivers whose vehicles were pulled from the Autobahn for safety reasons. If they'd been let go, they would never have fixed or paid anything.

Actually we get fairly much Russian truck drivers. They use Finnish seaports because Russian ports cannot handle the traffic/are shitty/lose cargo. Queues at the border can be 100+km long. Take a wild guess who's customs is lagging.
Of course we can identify people with unpaid fines at the border.

Only in Finland, Russian trucks:

Check around 3:30.
---
[video=youtube;Jlw2-WO4TDA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jlw2-WO4TDA[/video]

 

[calvinhobbes]

Actually we get fairly much Russian truck drivers. They use Finnish seaports because Russian ports cannot handle the traffic/are shitty/lose cargo. Queues at the border can be 100+km long.

The Russian ports must be more than shitty if going through Finland is worth that kind of hassle! But as you were saying, it should be easy to check for unpaid fines at the border because that border is a controlled one.

Take a wild guess who's customs is lagging.

I'd expect this to bring us back to the discussion on "unofficial" payments to officials...

Check around 3:30.

I hope the driver in front of these geniuses was not moving for some reason. Otherwise that's more stupid than just bored/drunk/impatient-stupid.

What's with all the car transporters in the second video? My offensive side wants to ask if those are the cars stolen in Western Europe, transferred to Mother Russia through Finland because going through Poland and past its car thieves is too dangerous.

 

[h-p]

What's with all the car transporters in the second video? My offensive side wants to ask if those are the cars stolen in Western Europe, transferred to Mother Russia through Finland because going through Poland and past its car thieves is too dangerous.

Pretty much every foreign car sold in European Russia gets transported through Finland (and most go through one single border control). Atleast it used to, I think they've made a new car terminal near St. Petersburg by now. A day before shooting that second video Putin encouraged Russians to buy domestic cars. :lol:

I hope the driver in front of these geniuses was not moving for some reason. Otherwise that's more stupid than just bored/drunk/impatient-stupid.

I'm not entirely sure what you mean, but in case you are watching without sound, that was filmed from a fire engine.

 

[calvinhobbes]

Pretty much every foreign car sold in European Russia gets transported through Finland (and most go through one single border control). Atleast it used to, I think they've made a new car terminal near St. Petersburg by now.

Ouch. That would explain it.

A while ago, I watched a documentary about the Russian Far East. Apparently, a lot of people in the area have rather good business relations with the Japanese - Kuril Islands or not - which leads to direct imports of Japanese cars, RHD included. The only trouble with this is that RHD is a bit impratical in Russia, so at some point many owners of such cars and vans decide to have the steering and pedals moved to the left side of the car. But not the instrument panels, mind you... :lol:

A day before shooting that second video Putin encouraged Russians to buy domestic cars. :lol:

Ummm... yes. I believe he tried that again a while later:

 

[AiR]

The Russian ports must be more than shitty if going through Finland is worth that kind of hassle!

Yes, they are. I recently toured a distribution center for textile imports and re-exports where they exported small quantities to Russia. You were only allowed one box on each pallet, no matter the size, except if the package was X centimeters from the edge of the the pallet in which case it must be stripped and split up on multiple pallets, it had to be secured by exactly two plastic strips but not one nor three or four but exactly two, and the documents must detail exactly how many shirts are green, how many are red etc. This was not a company policy, it was a way to make transit somewhat smooth by packing it exactly by the book so russian officials didnt have anything they could demand "extra compensation" for.

What's with all the car transporters in the second video? My offensive side wants to ask if those are the cars stolen in Western Europe, transferred to Mother Russia through Finland because going through Poland and past its car thieves is too dangerous.

Up until very recently, and still to a great degree all auto imports go through Finland on truck. Petrolesport outside of St Petersburg opened their roroterminal late september this year, as of today UECC run MV Vinni on that trade, KESS run Elbe and Thames Highway, Transfennica run the route once a week but I have no info on which ship. Petrolesport claims Wallenius Willhelmsen also visit their port but that is probably an effort of making things look better than they are, W&W do not run roro to Russia but they own MV Vinni. Wallenius opened their office in St Petersburg less than two weeks ago so maybe that'll change. The ships that anchor at Petrolesport is smaller feeder-ships, ~1400-1900 units.

https://pic.armedcats.net/k/kn/knarkas/2010/12/17/buses1.jpg
Vinni, W&W vessel operated by UECC. Vinni is a funky ship, ugly as sin but the unusual shape is due to it being able to take containers as well (389 TEU in total). Has two hoistable car decks to maximize capacity, takes 1975 cars on 4,3 km of lane space.

https://pic.armedcats.net/k/kn/knarkas/2010/12/17/ehighway.jpg
Elbe Highway.

A while ago, I watched a documentary about the Russian Far East. Apparently, a lot of people in the area have rather good business relations with the Japanese - Kuril Islands or not - which leads to direct imports of Japanese cars, RHD included. The only trouble with this is that RHD is a bit impratical in Russia, so at some point many owners of such cars and vans decide to have the steering and pedals moved to the left side of the car. But not the instrument panels, mind you... :lol:

Lets have russian imports of japanese cars.

https://pic.armedcats.net/k/kn/knarkas/2010/12/17/2.jpg

https://pic.armedcats.net/k/kn/knarkas/2010/12/17/3.jpg

https://pic.armedcats.net/k/kn/knarkas/2010/12/17/5.jpg

https://pic.armedcats.net/k/kn/knarkas/2010/12/17/1.jpg

https://pic.armedcats.net/k/kn/knarkas/2010/12/17/2_001.jpg

What do you mean I'm a nerd? :lol:

 

[hajj]

So they have not to managed to built a car terminal St Peterburg, yet they have a car terminal in Vladivostok? Strange world really.

So Air you work in shipping or transport or something?

 

[AiR]

Don't know if I'd call iced over dock a "terminal"...
St Petersburg has Petrolesport now but Kotka on the finnish side is still the local hub.
I've been in the physical end of transport, got bit and hope to transfer to the business end (desk) in the near future

Let's have more russian things


It's a train
https://pic.armedcats.net/k/kn/knarkas/2010/12/17/37.jpg
and a truck
https://pic.armedcats.net/k/kn/knarkas/2010/12/17/217.jpg
Because why wouldnt you have a traintruck? What does it do? Nothing! Why would you need vehicles that do something! That's unnecessary, when you can have vehicles that do nothing.

 

[Cowboy]

Its also missing a wheel

 

[hajj]

Kotka doesn't really belong into the equation I guess, the ships can be loaded somewhere in Europe anyway, closer to where the cars come from in the first place. Bremerhafen and Emden are the big car ports in Germany, although starting in the Baltic Sea might not be a bad idea either.

 

[AiR]

Kotka is bigger and more convenient to use (finns are easier to work with and within the EU) but you're right that the big ships from asia usually only go to Bremerhaven, Hamburg, Antwerpen or Rotterdam or wherever is convenient and then go back, then you feed the cargo on with smaller ships. Vinni's route is Bremerhaven - Wallhamn - St Petersburg.

Have nuclear powered russian battlecruiser Pyotr Velikiy in return

https://pic.armedcats.net/k/kn/knarkas/2010/12/17/threerussianflagships02.jpg

 

[hajj]

I was talking about exporting second-hand cars from the EU to Russia. I have a few friends in the shipping industry (one in sweden even), that's why I was asking.

 

[bone]

Let's have more russian things

The top of this phenomenon is a former diesel locomotive put onto the missile launcher chassis.

only in russia that you find those in abundance :lol:
(and maybe north korea )

 

[AiR]

I was talking about exporting second-hand cars from the EU to Russia. I have a few friends in the shipping industry (one in sweden even), that's why I was asking.

Ah I see. Stolen cars? Everything going to russia privately must be stolen

only in russia that you find those in abundance :lol:
(and maybe north korea )

Yes, who hasnt got a missile launcher in his backyard? I mean seriously. Everyone should have at least one missile launcher chassis

 

[calvinhobbes]

What do you mean I'm a nerd? :lol:

Thank you for all that, it was quite an interesting read! That second to last photo could almost be the "before" to the series of "after"s above it. :lol: Crazy stuff!

Kotka on the finnish side is still the local hub.

I would have thought it was Hanko if anywhere in Finland, but you learn something new every day.

 

[AiR]

Hmm good point, you may well be right. Kotka says they're the hub but they're biased. I'm way too russian drunk to be looking into it at the moment.

 

[calvinhobbes]

I'm way too russian drunk to be looking into it at the moment.

Excellent! See you in the Beer thread!

 

[h-p]

I would have thought it was Hanko if anywhere in Finland, but you learn something new every day.

Going to Hanko would mean driving through Helsinki on the way to Russia. Much simpler to go to Kotka.

I want a beer too.

 

[Krinkov]

[video=youtube;Ze3-PSBS4do]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ze3-PSBS4do[/video]