FSUE “Rosmorport” plans to finish the main volume of work planned for the current year on the Volga-Caspian Sea Shipping Canal (VCSSC) in the coming weeks and open it for navigation of vessels with a draft of 4.5 m. To date, the enterprise has completed 93 % of the dredging works planned for 2023 at VCSSC.

The annual volume of dredging was adjusted from 12 million cubic meters to 9.2 million cubic meters regarding the results of additional measurements on the 130-188 km section of the VCSSC and analysis of the actual dimensions of the canal.

After the dredging plan for the current year is implemented, work on the elimination of one-way sections of the canal planned for 2024 will begin ahead of schedule at VCSSC.

As part of comprehensive measures for the development of the canal, work is carried out on the construction of protective structures, that prevent the skidding of the VCSSC, on its four sites. Work on restoring the dimensions of the fish by-pass channel with a length of about 900 m has been completed, 1.5 km of protective structures made of soft polypropylene containers (geobags) filled with soil extracted during repair dredging have been laid.

The task of ensuring the passage of vessels with a draft of at least 4.5 m along the 188-kilometer canal was set for transport workers by the head of state. Dredging works at a strategically important facility are carried out under favorable weather conditions around the clock. At the moment, an unprecedented number of vessels in an amount of 17 dredgers is involved in work at the canal.