According to FSUE “Rosmorport” Order dated 23.01.2017 No.23 a self-propelled hopper barge “FORT” was passed to the North-Western Basin Branch for economic management.

This vessel was purchased by the organization in December last year and became the first hopper vessel in the North-Western Basin Branch and the 57^th vessel among the branch fleet.

The barge allows transporting up to 3 thousands of tons of extracted mud or other bulk cargo in the bulge and providing precise mud discharge in required area with the help of expandable hydraulic folds in the hull bottom.

The vessel will be used by the North-Western Basin Branch together with a spoon dredger which is expected to be purchased by the organization in the near future. The mud extracted by the dredger will be discharged from the dredging spot to the self-propelled hopper barge “FORT” which will ship it to the established area of the underwater dump.

The vessel is expected to start operations in April 2017 and to be used with the spoon dredger for dredging operations in the south water area of the Ust-Luga Seaport.

For references:

The self-propelled hopper barge “FORT” was built by “Krupp Ruhrorter Schiffswerft GmbH” shipyard (Duisburg, Germany) on April 30, 1974. Over the period from 1974 to January 1986 the vessel was named “USTARITZ”, from 1986 to November 2006 - “DI 16”, from 2006 to June 2009 - “Giorgio 1”, from 2009 to May 2011 - “CMS SEAEAGLE”, in 2011 the vessel was renamed to “FORT”. At present the barge is registered in the Maritime Register of Shipping, Russia, place of registration – Big Port Saint Petersburg Seaport and sails under the state flag of the Russian Federation.

Vessel main technical characteristics: