Icebreaker escort services period is over at Big Port St. Petersburg and Passenger Port Saint-Petersburg from April 9, 2016. All ice navigation restrictions are lifted, navigation of small size vessels is allowed starting from 00:00 (Moscow time).
According to Ice Operations Headquarters of Baltic Sea Ports Administration, the Neva Bay is ice-free. Port of Primorsk access channels and water area are ice-free. Water area of port Ust-Luga is ice-free.
The 10-15cm-thick ice is reported on the approaches to the port of Vysotsk, 10-20cm-thick rotten land ice on the Vysotsk-Vyborg channel. 10-15cm-thick ice floes are observed at the approaches to the Vyborg Bay.
As of today, two icebreakers are ready for operation. The Vladivostok and the Murmansk icebreakers are on their way to port Murmansk for trials. The Semyon Dezhnev, Kapitan Zarubin, Saint-Petersburg, Mudyug, Yermak, Kapitan Sorokin, Kapitan Nikolayev, Karu, Ivan Kruzenshtern and Kapitan Plakhin icebreakers are available for operation (operational reserve of Rosmorport’s North-Western Basin Branch).
Since the beginning of the 2015-2016 winter navigation season icebreakers have assisted 844 vessels. From April 11, 2016 (00:00 Moscow time), the following ice navigation restrictions are effective within the water area of port Vyborg and at the approaches: ATBs, vessels without ice class and vessels with Ice 1 and above class notations are allowed to navigate in the ice on their own or with icebreaker assistance.
Related link:
Waterways of Saint-Petersburg open for navigation from April 9>>>>