Tiksi is an urban-type settlement, the administrative center of the Bulunsky ulus of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). It stands on the shore of the bay of the same name. There is also a seaport located east of the mouth of the Lena River, on the shores of the Laptev Sea.
A bit of history
For the first time these places were described in 1739 by the famous Russian polar explorer and explorer Dmitry Laptev. Then the bay he discovered was given the name Gorelaya Guba. In 1878, the steamships Vega and Elena moored here. The members of this expedition A. Nordenskiöld, A. Sibiryakov and Lieutenant Oskar Nordqvist were delighted with the beauty of these places. At the same time, the latter suggested that the bay should be given a different name, since the name Gorelay is unable to convey all the delights of Siberian reality. After they found out from the translator the name of the place given by the natives, they began to call the bay Tiksi.
Tiksi Bay
In translation from the Yakut language, "tiksi" means a pier. The total length of the bay reaches 21 km, the width at the entrance is 18 km. The maximum depth is about 12 m. It is freezing, the ice is from October to July. The port of the same name standing here is the sea gate of Yakutia. This is a major transport hub in the Arctic part of Russia. The North-Eastern Directorate of the Marine Fleet of the Russian Federation is located here, which is responsible for transport communications in the Laptev Sea, the East Siberian Sea and the Chukchi Sea, as well as for navigation along the Lena, Khatanga, Olenok, Indigirka, Kolyma rivers.
The emergence and development of the port
The port was established in 1933. During this period, the USSR began the active development of the Northern Sea Route. The first winterers, as well as the builders of the port and the village, landed on the shore of the bay in August 1932.
Famous people of Russia lived here at different times, as well as Siberian explorers A. Papanin, A. Marinesko, A. Chilingarov.
During the Great Patriotic War, important transport cargoes were transported through Tiksi to Arkhangelsk, Murmansk and Vladivostok.
Present
At present, the port of Tiksi is considered quite modern and highly mechanized by the standards of the Arctic coast of Russia. Navigation here is short, no more than 3 months. But in Tiksi, polar explorers live and work all year round. The village itself consists of 2- and 5-storey houses. All are built on piles. No private sector.
In fact, Tiksi is two separate cities. Tiksi-1 is an urban-type settlement inhabited by civilians. Tiksi-3 is a military town. The two parts are connected by a roadsix kilometers long. There is an airport next to the military settlement, which is operated by civil and military aircraft. There is also a helicopter stand here. Usually a plane flies to Yakutsk from the airport twice a week. There are flights to Moscow and St. Petersburg. They fly to these cities several times a month.
Urban-type settlement
The population of Tiksi is about 6-7 thousand people. In addition to various regional institutions, the Tiksin Department of Hydrometeorology and Environmental Control, a geophysical observatory, and a construction and installation department operate here.
In winter, the usual temperature is 25-30 degrees with a minus sign. But it often happens that it falls much lower. In the period from late autumn to mid-spring, Tiksi is captured by hurricane winds, heavy snowstorms and snowstorms are very frequent. The sun appears over the village only from mid-February.
The village owes its origin to the seaport of Tiksi. The port itself is located in the central sector of the Arctic coast of Russia, on the coast of the Laptev Sea. In the immediate vicinity of the delta of the Lena River. In the bay of Tiksi. This port is considered one of the northernmost ports of the Russian Federation and was built in the most inaccessible section of the Northern Sea Route.
Port life
The port operates only in summer. Navigation lasts about 90 days. Here, cargo is transshipped from sea vessels for Tiksi and settlements, which are located inland on the rivers Khatanga, Olenok, Yana, Indigirka, Kolyma. The port transshipsmainly industrial and food cargoes, various equipment, exports timber and timber products. There is no railway connection to the port of Tiksi.
In addition to communication with the republican center, Moscow and St. Petersburg, local flights are operated.
In summer, during the navigation period, between the village of Ust-Kut, located on the Yana River, and the village of Tiksi, there is a passenger-and-freight service. At this time, motor ships run along the Lena River to Yakutsk.
The port operates around the clock. Its main operator is Tiksi Seaport OJSC, which, among other things, independently carries out the extraction and transportation of sand, as well as organizes the transportation of passengers.
It is impossible to refuel ships in it, there is no necessary infrastructure. Vessels are provided with fresh water only.
Replenishment of food is possible only in local retail chains and in cash. Given the shortage of goods, its release is carried out in limited quantities. Medical care is provided in Tiksi. The port has its own ship repair base. It has a port and a diving station, however, it conducts work only with special permission from the port authorities.
Port Tiksi, port production capacity, water area, depth
The port has 16 berths, their total length is 1724 m. The depth at the berths ranges from 2.5 to 6.8 m.
Has at its disposal 9 gantry cranes, 6 floating and 4 crawler. It has an overhead container crane andseveral automobiles. Tiksi Sea Port OJSC also owns thirty forklifts, trailers, bulldozers, tractors and about 50 different vehicles.
The water area of the port occupies 0.29 ha. To ensure the reception of ships, there are two berthing terminals. Their total length is 315 m. The throughput is 67,000 tons per year. The navigation period is officially announced from 15.07 to 30.09. The port is provided with warehouses, of which 52,009 square meters are open and 3,000 square meters are closed. There are tanks with a capacity of 38,000 tons.
The main specialization of the port is the processing and transshipment of food cargo, general, sea-type containers weighing up to 20 tons, transshipment of coal, timber, timber and oil products.
The port of Tiksi can handle ships both at the quay walls and in the roadsteads. For this purpose, special watercraft and ship handling devices are used.
Uncertainties in the outlook
It should be noted that in the 20th century the port of Tiksi developed quite rapidly. The settlement adjacent to it received the status of an urban-type settlement. By the end of the century, the population of Tiksi began to decline. At present, it has become almost half as much as it was at the peak of development.
The decrease in the role of the port was due to technological progress. After the Northern Sea Route began to be provided by nuclear icebreakers, there was no need for intermediate stops on the route of the caravans of ships. Therefore, ships should enter the Yakut port of Tiksistopped.
How to get there
In order to get to Tiksi, you need to get a special pass to visit this region. It is issued by the border service of the FSB of the Russian Federation. It is forbidden to be there without this document.
They usually get here in three ways: by plane, by boat, by winter road. But it is worth noting that all these methods are not entirely reliable. So, in spring and winter, regular air traffic can be suspended indefinitely due to constant snowstorms and strong winds. The ship can deliver people to this area only in the summer, during the navigation period, which is relatively short. Moreover, ships are usually always loaded, it is very difficult to get tickets. The winter road should only be used in convoys of four-wheel drive vehicles.
Those who have reached Tiksi should definitely try the local fish, very tasty and still found in abundance at the mouth of the Lena River. Local fish gifts, namely nelma, muksun, broad whitefish, vendace are known for their taste not only in Bulunsky ulus and Yakutsk, but also in Moscow. And a self-made photo of the port of Tiksi brought from these northern and harsh places will provide memories for a long time.
