Navigation season at the main route of the Volga-Baltic Waterway is over (photo)

Operation of aids to navigation and locks at the main route of the Volga-Baltic Waterway is over.  According to the Federal Marine and River Transport Agency (Rosmorrechflot) operation continues at the waterways of the Kaliningrad Region (till November 30) and at the Neva river (for cargo ships sailing towards winter anchorage location).

Amid the favorable weather, the navigation period of 2017 on the Neva river within Saint-Petersburg started 16 days ahead of schedule, in the rest of the Neva waters - 6 days ahead of schedule. Navigation season in the Vologda Region started 12 days later than planned due to unfavorable ice conditions.
 
In 2017, aids to navigation were serviced at 3,526.2 km of waterways by 32 buoy tenders including 22 vessels operating on the main route. Operation of aids to navigation at the main rout (excluding) inland water ways in the Kaliningrad Region lasted for 204 days on the average.

The scope of dredging on the Volga-Baltic Waterway totaled 1.18 mln cbm. The works were performed by 14 units of the dredging fleet.

Favorable hydrological conditions allowed for vessels with draught of up 375 cm pass the routes starting from May 19 till the end of navigation.

The number of locking operations in 2017 totaled 33,923, up 7.0 % Y-o-Y (59,637 vessels, up 14.5% Y-o-Y).

Cargo traffic grew by 2.1 % to 16.6 mln t. The number of voyages grew by 2.5% to 20,400. Passenger traffic remained flat, year-on-year, at 331,600 passengers.

The competence of the Volga-Baltic Waterways Administration covers 4,944.2 km of waterways including 3,526.2 km of waterways with aids to navigation. The length of waterways with guaranteed dimensions and lighted aids to navigation – 2,979.2 km. There are 35 hydraulic engineering structures including 11 locks.

Main route of the VBW: Volga-Baltic Canal, Neva / Malaya Neva / Svir / Volkhov / Vuoksa / Trostyanka rivers, Onezhsky Canal, Ladoga / Chudskoye / Pskovskoye / Beloye lakes. Kaliningrad area waterways: Neman / Pregolya / Matrosovka / Deima rivers, navigable ways of the Couronian lagoon.