Russia’s state nuclear energy corporation Rosatom is developing a specialised dredging fleet to support safe navigation along the Northern Sea Route (NSR), as it expands infrastructure for shipping through the Arctic.
The hopper dredger Darya, acquired by Rosatom-managed Hydrographic Enterprise, has begun operations at Sabetta, Russia’s first LNG seaport. The vessel will maintain the port’s approach channel at its required depth and dimensions, supporting planned cargo traffic.
The Darya is the first dredger of its type operated by Rosatom and forms part of plans to build a dedicated fleet. The company intends to acquire nine more high-performance dredging vessels, allowing it to carry out maintenance dredging in the Ob Bay and approaches to terminals using its own resources.
Sabetta faces regular seabed silting caused by heavy traffic from large gas carriers. More than 70 million cubic metres of material has been dredged from the port over the past five years.
From next year, about 5 million cubic metres of sediment will need to be removed annually to maintain navigable depths, according to Dmitry Ageev, acting director of Hydrographic Enterprise.
Dredging at Sabetta is particularly challenging because the port freezes for much of the year, leaving a working window of only about three months.
Dredging is considered an important part of maintaining safe navigation along the NSR, alongside hydrographic and navigational support. Hydrographic Enterprise surveys more than 40,000 linear kilometres each year, providing updated depth data to help optimise shipping routes and reduce the risk of vessels running aground.
Rosatom has been the infrastructure operator of the NSR since 2018. The roughly 5,600-kilometre Arctic route connects Europe with the Asia-Pacific region and is being developed through increased cargo traffic, new nuclear-powered icebreakers and infrastructure upgrades.