The Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority has invited tenders for dredging the approach channel to the Chornomorsk seaport to a depth of 16 meters.

According to the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority, the dredging work is to be performed in 2017 at the estimated cost of UAH 110.12 million (including VAT). According to the relevant project, the total volume of dredging work will be 504,400 cubic meters and the dredging area 25.6 hectares.

The tender will take place in two stages: the first stage will involve submission of technical documentation and the second will be the bidding process. The deadline for submitting technical documentation through the ProZorro electronic public procurement system is July 31 and bidding is scheduled to begin on September 5.

According to the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority’s acting head Raivis Veckagans, in addition to dredging the approach channel to the Chornomorsk port, the operating water area of the Dry Estuary’s first “bucket” will soon be reconstructed.

According to the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority, the approach channel to the Chornomorsk seaport currently has a depth of 14.5 meters, a width of 150 meters, and a length of 1.4 kilometers. However, these parameters no longer ensure safe passage of vessels through the channel to the port due to the increasing share of large-capacity vessels with drafts of more than 14 meters in the port’s ship turnover. Therefore, reconstruction of the channel is necessary.

The Chornomorsk port’s cargo turnover totaled 15.942 million tons in 2016, when it handled 7.986 million tons of grain (a 56.9% increase compared with 2015).

The dredging of the approach channel is expected to increase the port’s cargo turnover by increasing the volumes of transshipment of bulk cargo, grain, and container cargo, which are transported mainly in large-capacity vessels. The prospective volume of ship traffic will be up to 3,500 per year. 

The Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority recently signed memorandums of cooperation with the Risoil port operator and the Kernel agricultural holding company with the aim of increasing the volume of cargo traffic in the Chornomorsk port while simultaneously increasing its water depth.