Astrakhan Branch News

Petr Sablin Dredger Starts Dredging Operations in the Volga-Caspian Marine Canal

At the end of March 2017 the Petr Sablin dredger arrived at the Volga-Caspian Marine Canal site 138-139 km and on the 1st of April started repairing dredging operations. 

According to the activity schedule for dredging operations the Astrakhan Branch expects to extract 1,1 mln cbm of the bottom soil with the use of the vessel in the sea part of the Volga-Caspian Shipping Canal in 2017.

Dredging operations are performed in accordance with the repairing dredging operations project on the Volga-Caspian Shipping Canal site 0-188 km for the period up to 2018 with the development of the environmental protection measures, that received a favorable conclusion of the expert committee of the State Environmental Ecology Expertise Group No. 33 of 17.06.2016 and approved by the Order of the Department of the Federal Service for Oversight of Natural Resource Use for the Southern Federal District No. 246/ОD of 17.06.2016.

Before the beginning of repair excavation the Astrakhan Branch Navigational and Hydrographic Support Service measured bottom level of the canal to determine dredging operations area borders and to calculate the volume of the soil being excavated. As a result of repair dredging the depth is planned to be extended to the project values that are equal to 5.9 meters in this Volga-Caspian Shipping Canal area. 

In accordance with the established procedure the soil excavated during dredging operations is pumped through the floating and shore pipes to the specifically designated shallow pile located at a distance of 350 meters from the canal edge.