In February 2016 the Azovo-Chernomorsky Basin Branch purchased Lauver hopper dredger.

The ship is designed to carry out dredging of I-III class soils using two dredge pumps and independent soil removal from the place of dredging to the dumping area.

At present the Louver dredger is used by the Azovo-Chernomorsky Basin Branch for maintenance dredging works on the approach channel to the seaport of Kavkaz in order to restore navigation depths.

From February to date the Lauver dredger has performed digging at the approach channel of the seaport of Kavkaz and shipped to the dumping areas more than 37 thousand m3 of bottom soil.

For reference:

The Lauver dredger was built in 1990. Prior to the acquisition by the Azovo-Chernomorsky Basin Branch it had been used for the repair dredging works in the seaports of the Azov Sea. The vessel was named after the person whose idea it was to use a suction dredger for extraction of amber and marine shells from the bottom of the coastal part of the sea. This vessel is a unique dredger with only two of its kind left in the world now, as they were originally designed and built for the extraction of precious stones from the seabed.

General technical characteristics of the vessel:
Vessel class is — KM* R3-RSN hopper dredger
Type of vessel — dredger
Gross tonnage — 499 t
Deadweight — 538 t
Length — 59 m
Width — 7.5 m
Moulded depth — 3.5 m
Hopper volume — 791 m³
Maximum dredging depth — up to 16 m
Types of the developed soils — sand, silt, shelly soil
Dredge pump capacity — 18 thousand m³ per hour
Main propulsion system capacity — 525 kW
Speed — 6 knots
Endurance — 15 days
Sailing area — sea areas A1 and A2
Crew — 12 persons