Russia's Rosmorport proposes 11-vessel icebreaker fleet for Gulf of Finland

Russian state-owned port operation and maintenance firm Rosmorport has proposed the establishment of a fleet of icebreakers that will be based at ports that line the Gulf of Finland, which accounts for one of the highest traffic volumes of large-tonnage ships passing through Russian waters.

The proposal by Rosmorport entails the establishment of a fleet of 11 icebreakers to ensure continuous support for large commercial ships that pass through the gulf.

At any given time, five icebreakers will be in operation in the gulf, five other vessels will be berthed at their respective ports for maintenance and resupply, and one will be on standby reserve to augment the five active vessels during periods of increased demand.

Rosmorport said this will result in the largest concentration of Russian icebreakers in the Gulf of Finland. The new fleet is slated to be in place at the designated Gulf of Finland ports before the onset of the Russian winter in the first week of December.