The average age of dredging fleet in Russia is 36 years and the country urgently needs to put new dredgers into operation, Gennady Egorov, director of the St. Petersburg-based Marine Engineering Bureau, said in a recent statement.
“ As of today, the Russian technical fleet consists of 2,700 vessels. During the past few years, approximately 100 dredgers were put into operation in different parts of the country, most of them being classic non-self-propelled dredgers ,” Egorov said.
“ The biggest Russian companies producing dredgers in Russia now are Tsimlyansk HYDROMEChanization Plant and Rybinsk HYDROMEChanization Plant ,” Egorov added.
Egorov continued, “ Additionally, 20 mud boats were built in Russia over the past few years, including three self-propelled with a total volume capacity of 600 square meters each – all of which were used for dredging works at the Onega Shipbuilding Plant .”
He also added that some types of dredging vessels are not built in Russia at all, for example, multi-bucket dredgers.
According to Egorov, there are some positive developments, as the Russian shipbuilding plant Lotos together with IHC has recently begun building four bucket-wheel dredgers. In total, the plant could build 20 dredgers within the confines of that project. The vessels would be used on various dredging projects on internal waterways.
In March 2020, Russian federal sea ports agency Rosmorport expanded its fleet with the Ice Class trailing suction hopper dredger 2000 Yuri Masluykov. The government agencies describe this vessel as the most advanced dredger built in Russia since Soviet times.
Rosmorport plans to order four new dredgers by 2030, including one non-self-propelled cutter suction dredger and three self-propelled dredgers, each with a hold volume of 1,000 cubic meters.
“ Basically, Russia needs to establish its own range of dredging equipment in order to improve the effectiveness and meet the growing demand for dredging operations in the country ,” Egorov concluded.