Arkhangelsk Branch News

Maintaining Buoys During Winter Navigation in Arkhangelsk Seaport

Early winter in Arkhangelsk Seaport is traditionally marked by icing, constant ice drifting and other factors, which have a negative influence on the condition of aids to navigation, such as marine buoys being set in the water area of the seaport. This year ice started accumulating in November, and at present the thickness of the ice layer at the seaport is up to 15-20 centimeters. During ice formation light-optical equipment usually freezes, and the lights visibility is reduced. Buoys also freeze, lose their stability and shift from their usual placement locations. When fast ice starts piling up, buoys often sink in ice and can stay under it through the whole winter, without performing their visual guiding functions.

In order to perform maintenance of aids to navigation in the seaport during the winter period the Arkhangelsk Branch used to involve non-specialised vessels, such as tow boats, or icebreakers, which did not allow to perform the necessary works urgently and according to the requirements.

Due to the commissioning of a new lotsmeister boat of project P1760M called “Vavchuga” the Arkhangelsk Branch managed to considerably improve maintenance of year-round floating aids to navigation in the water area of Arkhangelsk Seaport. Using the new vessel the branch can efficiently and urgently clean buoys from ice and snow, crack ice around them, and change buoys, or their equipment in case of damage.

At present all the aids to navigation set in the water area of Arkhangelsk Seaport are functioning as normal, and the efficiency ratio is the same as in summer, meeting the actual norms. The measures implemented by the Arkhangelsk Branch to increase the efficiency of navigation and hydrographic provision allow to maintain the necessary navigation safety level at the approaches, and in the water area of Arkhangelsk Seaport during winter navigation.