seagull Feb 25, 10:59
Icebreakers set to lead a 15-ship convoy through the Kerch Strait
Two icebreakers owned by Rosmorport the Kapitan Moshkin and the Kapitan Krutov with a convoy of 15 cargo ships bound for the Black Sea have reached the Kerch Strait. The vessels are ready to pass the Strait on Feb. 24, the Azov Ice Ops Headquarter said.
The icebreakers have escorted through very thick, ridged ice in the Sea of Azov the convoy comprised of the Adriatic Mariner, the Baltic Mariner, the Amur-2525, the A. Shotman, the Sormovsy-3050, the Amur-2512, the Dorothy, the Kazan, the Mechanic Erokhin, the Mechanic Kharitonov, the Mechanic Sazonov, the Siberian-2131 , the Azov Mariner , the Ukrainian and the Vostochny.
The icebreakers Kapitan Demidov and the Kapitan Chudinov have released the ice-trapped Kizhi and escorted the vessel to Varzovsky entrance buoy and are currently escorting the M/V Pyalma to the Kerch Strait.
Overall, there are reportedly 79 ships in the Azov Sea-based Russian ports, 11 of them have ice-class hulls. In the Sea of Azov there are 17 outward bound vessels and 14 – to call at the regional ports (12 - awaiting assistance, 2 - stricken ships).
Besides, there are now 98 vessels in the Black Sea set to pass through the Kerch Strait, 48 of them are ice-classed ships. Some ships are escorted by ice-class tugs to / from the port of Kavkaz.
Weather forecast for Feb. 24: southwest winds, 6-11 m / s, gusting up to 30 mph. scattered snow and rain, mist, sleet. Visibility - 2-4 km. On Feb. 25-26: western wind, breeze and gale, gusting up to 39 mph, light rain during the day. Sea ice drifting, pile-ups, pressure ridges. Night temperature ranging from – 3 Cº to + 2, Day - + 1-6 Cº.
Ice buildup continues in the Azov Sea. As of Feb. 20, the entire Gulf of Taganrog was covered with 40-45cm-thick fast ice, to the west - an area of a natural ice hole (polynya). And further to the west of polynya – largely gray ice and behind it - mostly gray-white drifting ice pack. The process of ice consolidation, rubbles pileups and pressure ridges is observed in the Kerch Strait and to the west of the Sea of Azov with 3m-high ice hummocks. The 20cm-thick fast ice is observed in Kerch, in Opasny - 38 cm, in Temryuk channel - 41 cm, in the Primorsko-Akhtarsk - 42 cm, at the top of Taganrog Bay - 35-45 cm, in Genichesk - 32 cm, in Strelkovy - 25 cm, near the port of Kavkaz - drifting ice (consolidation of 10 points) of up to 30 cm in thickness.
The Rosmorport owned icebreakers were deployed and operate in the area in accordance with the instructions of the Ice Operations Headquarters (IOHQ) led by Harbour Master of the Port of Taganrog. Currently, the IOHQ is busy freeing ice-trapped vessels and escort them to open water. So far, the Azov Sea is not accessible for arriving vessel while other ships are not able to depart from the regional ports without icebreaking assistance. The icebreakers work in pairs clearing a passage for the vessel to then start organizing ship convoys to escort them both to the north-east towards the port of Taganrog, Azov, Rostov-on-Don, Eisk, and from the ports to the Kerch Strait, as well as to assist the ships at the port of Temryuk.
FSUE Rosmorport has now a fleet of four diesel-electric icebreakers in the area operated by its regional Azov and Black Sea branches. In addition, the Port of Taganrog has the icebreaking tug Kama, the same class vessel Kapitan Kharchikov operates at the port of Azov, Port of Rostov-on-Don has the icebreaking tug Phanagoria.
en.portnews.ru
Ukraine
