The past winter was one of the most challenging ones in the Caspian region
In view of the improving ice situation, FSUE Rosmorport has completed providing its icebreaker assistance to ships in the freezing seaports of the Azov and Caspian Seas. According to operational data, more than 4.2 thousand ships were escorted to the seaports of Rostov-on-Don, Azov, Taganrog, Yeysk, Olya, Astrakhan during the period of icebreaker assistance in 2022-2023, the company’s press center says.
The following ships were involved in the Azov basin: icebreakers Kapitan Chudinov, Kapitan Demidov, Kapitan Moshkin, Kapitan Krutov, and icebreaking tugboats Fanagoria and Georgy Sedov. In the Caspian basin, icebreakers Kapitan Bukaev, Kapitan Chechkin and Kapitan Metsayk were involved. The icebreaker assistance season began on December 6, 2022.
The past winter navigation was one of the most difficult in the Caspian basin over the recent years. Low air temperature caused intense ice formation. The most challenging sections were the 140 km and the 170 km of the Volga-Caspian Shipping Canal due to building-up and ridging of ice which entailed the full loading of the Astrakhan Branch’s icebreakers.
As of today, icebreakers of Rosmorport continue escorting ships to Russian seaports in the Gulf of Finland, Baltic, While and Okhotsk seas.
Rosmorport’s fleet of icebreakers and icebreaking tugs involved in escorting of ships numbers 33 units. It is the largest icebreaking fleet in the world.