On April 20, the North-Western Basin Branch completed the first stage of planned maintenance dredging operations carried out in 2018 in the water area of the Kaliningrad Seaway Canal in order to maintain navigational depths in the water area of the seaport of Kaliningrad. The operations have been stopped in strict compliance with the requirements of Russian environmental legislation because of the start of spawning of fish resources in the region.

The dredging operations have been carried out by using FSUE “Rosmorport” dredging vessels – the Sommers, the Kronshlot and the Severnaya Dvina suction hopper dredges in such areas, as the merchant harbor of the Baltic cargo district, at the section of the Kaliningrad Seaway Canal from entrance pierheads to PK 8, in the operational water area at Berths NoNo 1-4 and on the approaches toward it of the Svelovsky cargo district of the seaport of Kaliningrad.

During the dredging operations, a total of 439,000 cubic meters of bottom soil have been extracted and removed to burial areas. The Severnaya Dvina suction hopper dredger of the Arkhangelsk Branch have extracted and removed 249.4 cubic meters of bottom soil. Earlier, the Severnaya Dvina was mobilized to carry out dredging works in the water area of the Kaliningrad Seaway Canal.

Upon completion of the operations the vessels returned to the home ports – the seaport of Big Port St Petersburg and the seaport of Arkhangelsk for planned technical maintenance and preparations for further dredging operations.

In the autumn 2018 repair dredging operations in the seaport of Kaliningrad will be continued by the FSUE “Rosmorport” dredging vessels. They are expected to extract and remove no less than 100,000 cubic meters of bottom soil.