Icebreaker escort services in the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland provided to 7 vessels
Over the last day period icebreaker escort services in the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland were provided to 7 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 722 vessels.
The Karu, Ivan Kruzenshtern, 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 10-15cm-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 at the Big Ship Channel and the approaches is complicated with ice floes and field ice.