Active operations have commenced in the seaports of the Russian Far East to remove sunken vessels under the federal General Cleanup project.
Operations scheduled for 2026 aim to raise and dismantle 17 sunken vessels across six regions of the Far Eastern Federal District. The designated removals include five ships in Chukotka, four in Kamchatka, three in Sakhalin, two each in Primorsky Krai and the Magadan region, and one in Yakutia.
The Federal Agency for Maritime and River Transportation leads the execution of these tasks in coordination with regional authorities. Recovery operations take place annually from June to October – relying on a combination of state contracts and private enterprise initiatives. Priority is given to submerged objects that obstruct navigation, hinder commercial fishing activities, or release pollutants into the marine ecosystem.
The General Cleanup project initially launched in 2022 and facilitated the extraction and disposal of 227 vessels from the seafloor over its first phase. The environmental program has now been officially extended for the 2025–2030 period and integrated into the broader Ecological Well-being national project.