Dredging in the Volga-Caspian Shipping Canal started on March 28, earlier than planned, the RF Federal Agency for Maritime and River Transport has reported.
The first dredger to start operations in the Canal was the hopper dredger “Pyotr Sablin”, to be joined by nine more units by April 1. A total of up to 18 dredger groups are to be deployed in the Volga-Caspian Shipping Canal this year.
The target dredging volume for the season of 2023 is 12 mn cubic meters, more than twice as much as last year, which also saw a record-breaking amount of soil extracted.
The aim is to increase the depth in the canal so as to make it possible doe vessels with a draft of 4.5 meters to pass.