Withdrawal of the international dredging companies and sanctions are named among the key factors
Considerable increase in the cost of dredging works in 2022 is explained by the withdrawal of European dredging companies from the Russian market and the attraction of dredgers from the friendly countries to cover the shortage of the technical fleet, IAA PortNews correspondent cites Andrey Boldorev, Head of the Department for Investments and Strategic Development, FSUE Rosmorport, as saying at the 6th International Congress “Hydraulic Engineering and Dredging” being held in Moscow.
According to the speaker, “the cost of dredging works under the projects being implemented together with the investors rose by about 30% in 2022”. He says that is due to the withdrawal of the key players and restrictions on involvement of foreign-flagged ships from unfriendly countries. “All those factors expends the time and rises risks for equipment owners,” he says.
Andrey Boldorev says the dredging fleet is insufficient in all regions, excluding the Far East, perhaps. “A large part of the North-West and the Azov-Black Sea Basin basin used to be serviced by European dredging equipment. Now we are looking for partners in countries which do not support the policy of sanctions against the Russian Federation. The problem is that the parameters and the types of equipment from such countries do not meet the European parameters. The work is underway but I cannot reveal any specific results of it,” he said.