Rosmorport’s icebreakers assist shipping in the Gulf of Finland, escorted 17 vessels
Since yesterday icebreakers of FSUE Rosmorport have escorted 17 merchant ships in the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland. Overall, since the beginning of this year’s ice navigation the regional icebreaking fleet has performed 421 operations, including 248 merchant ships escorted to / from the Big Port of St. Petersburg, 88 vessels within the harbours of Vyborg and Vysotsk, 38 vessels in the Port of Primorsk and 47 vessels in the Port of Ust-Luga, Baltic Ports Authority's Ice Operations HQ said.
The fleet of deployed icebreakers comprises nine ships
Ice Operations authority designated as the area of Buoy No. 4 of the Great Ship's Fairway (60°,11.5 min north latitude; 27°, 46.1 east longitude) as a rendezvous point for convoy formation.
From the entrance buoy of the Big Port of St. Petersburg to the C-1 navigable pass, drift ice concentration 6/8th with thickness up to 10 cm is observed. Between C-1 to Buoys No. 23-24: drift ice — 7/9th with 10-15 cm thick. Buoys No. 23-24 — the closed part of the St. Petersburg Marine Canal: drift ice, concentration 9/10th, 10-20 cm thick. In the Big Port of St. Petersburg basin broken ice 9/10th, 10-15 cm thick. Between Port of Vyborg and the Port of Vysotsk: solid 15-20 cm thick ice, the channel is frozen. To the south of the Vysotsk port to the island of Halley: 15-25 cm thick ice. From Halley to Buoy No. 2 of Bolshoy Korabelniy Fairway: drifting 10-15cm thick ice.
10/10th, 20-25cm thick ice concentration is observed in the harbour of Primorsk.
Buoy No. 2 — Buoy No. 4, Bolshoy Korabelniy Fairway: 10-15cm thick drifting ice. Buoy No. 4 — Buoy No. 9 of the BKF: 10-25cm thick drifting ice. Compacting is observed. Buoy No. 11 of the BKF to the entrance buoy, the Big Port of St. Petersburg: 10cm thick dark nilas.
The ice navigation authority imposes temporary restrictions in Vyborg port basin, on its access channels as of February 21, midnight: ATB units and ships without ice class are banned from entering. Ice1 vessels are allowed to sail only under the escort of icebreakers, Ice2 vessels and above are allowed to sail both escorted or unescorted.
Ice restrictions in the Port of Vysotsk basin as of midnight, February 22 (with ice thickness of 15-30 cm) and on its access channels: ships or ATBs without ice class not allowed to sail; Ice 1 class vessels are allowed to sail only with icebreaker support; Ice 2 vessels and above are allowed to sail both escorted / unescorted on the permission and recommendations of the icebreaker master.
Big Port of St. Petersburg, as of midnight, Feb. 24, 2018: ships without ice class only under the escort of icebreakers; vessels with Ice1 and above are allowed to sail in the ice unescorted on the permission and recommendations of the icebreaker or under the assistance of the icebreaker.
Passenger Port of St. Petersburg, as of Feb. 27, 2018, ice restriction are effective for ships without any ice class. Such vessels will be allowed to sail only under the escort of icebreakers; Ice1 and above ships are allowed to sail unescorted on the permission and recommendations of the icebreaker or under the icebreaker assistance.