In March 2023, Oboronlogistics informed the Ministry of Transport of Russia and the Government of the Kaliningrad Region about plans to repair the Ambal ferry (built in 1990) in connection with the identified malfunctions. The ship's departure for repairs is scheduled for the second half of the summer of 2023, according to the press release of Oboronlogistics.
Since Oboronlogistics is on the US and UK sanctions lists, spare parts for the Ambal vessel will be manufactured at one of the Russian enterprises after disassembly of the nodes and their defects. In this connection, it is still difficult to name the exact terms of the vessel's stay in repair.
Currently, there are 3 ferries operating on the Ust-Luga – Baltiysk railway ferry line: Ambal (owner of Oboronlogistics), Marshal Rokossovsky and General Chernyakhovsky (owner of Rosmorport, operator of Oboronlogistics).
In mid-January 2023, the Baltiysk railway ferry (built in 1984) was taken out for scheduled repairs. Currently, the vessel is located in the Large Port of St. Petersburg, where an annual inspection is taking place, during which a number of technical malfunctions were identified, and therefore repairs are continuing. Approximately, the vessel is expected to be put on the line in mid-April 2023.
The Baltiysk ferry is currently not included in the ferry line schedule published on the Oboronlogistics website until June 16, 2023, since the exact date of its launch on the line has not yet been determined. The schedule will be adjusted as soon as the ferry is ready for operation.
Taking into account the strategic importance of the Ust-Luga – Baltiysk ferry line and its importance in the life support of the Kaliningrad region, Oboronlogistics, as the operator of the line, owner and charterer of ships, is doing everything possible to ensure that the vessels are in good condition, the repair was not delayed, and the volume of freight traffic did not fall.