Ice melting has enabled access to the Kerch Strait in the north, from the Sea of Azov, and is fully open for navigation. There is no ice in the area of Kerch, the Azov Ice Ops Headquarters said.
The thickness of fast ice in Taganrog is 50 cm, in Strelkovo - 34 cm, in Genichesk - 38 cm, in Mysovoye - 17 cm. There is fast ice breaking up and first-year ice in Taganrog Bay.
The icebreaker Kapitan Demidov continues leading a convoy of 12 merchant ships bound for the ports of Taganrog, Azov and Rostov-on-Don.
Three icebreakers Kapitan Chudinov, Kapitan Moshkin, and Kapitan Krutov were escorting a caravan of 36 ships. The latter, Kapitan Krutov with 4 vessels is now heading towards the port of Yeysk port.
The Kapitan Chudinov and the Kapitan Moshkin leading cargo ships in the eastern part of Taganrog Bay are now 6 nm from the entrance buoy of the Azov-Don shipping channel.
As of 5:00 pm, March 21, there are 50 ships in the Sea of Azov, 49 of them - on the move and one stricken vessel. 97 ships (19 with ice-class ship) are currently in the Azov Sea ports. There are 59 cargo ships ready to pass through the Kerch Strait.