Icebreaker escort services in the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland provided to 6 vessels
Over the last day period icebreaker escort services in the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland were provided to 6 vessels, says Ice Operations Headquarters of Baltic Sea Ports Administration. Four icebreakers are ready for operation.
Since the beginning of the 2015-2016 winter navigation season icebreakers have assisted 663 vessels.
The Karu and the Ivan Kruzenshtern icebreakers are in 24-hour preparedness. The St. Petersburg, Mudyug, Yermak, Kapitan Sorokin,Vladivostok, Kapitan Nikolayev, Murmansk and Kapitan Plakhin icebreakers are available for operation (operational reserve of Rosmorport’s North-Western Basin Branch).
Fast 20-30 cm-thick ice is observed along the shore of the Neva Bay. From the Entrance Buoy to the C-1 – ice free water; between BSF and buoys No 23/24 – brash ice of 5-6 ths; Buoys No 23/24 to Picket 132 – brash ice, 10-15 cm thick. The channel is open for transit.
On the Port of Primorsk access channels the 10-20cm-thick fast ice is observed. The port's basin and the Bjerkezund Strait are ice-free. The channel is open for transit.
Water area of port Ust-Luga is ice-free.
The 10-15cm-thick solid ice is reported on the approaches to the port of Vysotsk, from Rondo and toward Vikhrevoi, 15-25cm-thick fast ice on the Vysotsk-Vyborg channel.
Navigation is complicated at the Big Ship Channel and the approaches with ice floes and field ice.
