KIEV, June 19 (Xinhua) -- China Harbor Engineering Company Ltd. (CHEC), together with the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority, has completed the dredging project in the seaport of Chernomorsk, the ports authority said in a statement on Tuesday.

According to the statement, starting in August last year, the whole project, which involved dredging over 1.5 million cubic meters, was finished in less than 11 months.

"After finishing the ongoing and planned renovation works, Chernomorsk deepwater berths will be able to receive Panamax type large-tonnage vessels with a draft up to 14.5 meters and post-Panamax type of vessels with deadweight up to 75,000 tons and container ships with a capacity of 8,000 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit)," said Raivis Veckagans, head of the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority.

"This will increase our port's competitiveness in the Black Sea and will allow state and private stevedoring companies operating in the port to attract new cargo traffic," he said.

The whole project was completed in two stages with the first stage involving dredging of the maritime approach channel to the seaport. With help from the CHEC, the approach channel was reconstructed for the first time in the last 20 years.

During the second stage, the Chinese contractor completed dredging of the operating water of the first bucket of the port's Sukhyi estuary.

The Chinese company was selected as the contractor in an open bidding in 2018, and has helped the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority save 40 million Ukrainian hryvnyas (about 1.5 million U.S. dollars) in this dredging project, according to the statement.