Russia opens its largest dry dock

A ceremony of opening Russia's largest dry dock took place at the sea port of Vostochny, Maritime Territory (Russia's Far East), on Monday.

The dock will be exploited for the construction of concrete supporting structures to be used off the shore of Sakhalin, Russia's oil and gas rich island in the Pacific, the Maritime Territory administration's press service told RIA Novosti. These will be the first concrete gravity foundations to be built in Russia. They were designed with regard to hazardous seismic and ice conditions of Sakhalin's coast.

The project and its construction base will allow to exploit the double dry dock free of ice and round the clock. Seventy million dollars have been invested in the project.

The ceremony was attended by Maritime Governor Sergei Darkin.

Once the platforms have been built the dock will be transformed into a reusable dock to be used for the construction of reinforced concrete foundations of platforms for other oil projects and of vessels.