Tsemes Bay

TheTsemes Bay(alsoTsemess BayandNovorossiysk Bay;Russian: Цемесская бухта,Tsemesskaya bukhta) is anice-freebaylocated on the north-eastern coast of theBlack Sea,inKrasnodar KraiofRussia.It takes its name from theTsemes Riverwhich flows into the bay. The depth of the sea varies from 21 to 27 meters. The length of the bay is 15 kilometers; its maximum width is 9 kilometers. It is delimited by theSudzhuk Spitand byCape Doob.

Tsemes Bay
Location

A panoramic view of the Tsemes Bay from theMarkotkh Range.

Although navigation is affected by strong autumn and winterbora winds(up to 220 kilometers per hour),ancient Greeknavigators frequented the bay and established thecolonyofBataon the shore.Michael Rostovtzeffexplained this by the lack of any other decent harbours along the coastline between the bay andBatumito the south.During the Middle Ages theGhisolfimerchant family ofGenoacontrolled the coast.

Novorossiysk,founded byRussiansin 1838 as a military facility, is the chief port on the bay. In June 1918Soviet Navycrewsscuttled several shipsof theBlack Sea Fleetin the bay to avoid their transfer to theGermans.Several notable shipwrecks occurred in Tsemes bay, including that ofSSAdmiral Nakhimovin 1986. Following the 1992 establishment of theCaspian Pipeline Consortium,theCommercial Seaport of Novorossiyskhas emerged as the busiest oil terminal in the Black Sea. The southern portion of the bay, with the minor resort ofKabardinka,is administered fromGelendzhik(seeGelendzhik Bay).