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The international conference "Sustainable and Safe Passenger Ships" has passed in Piraeus (Greece) on March, 4, 2020. It was organized by the oldest in the world the British Royal Institution of Naval Architects (RINA) created in 1860 (director Trevor Blakeley) in partnership with the Greek Institute of Marine Technologies.
 
Specialists from Great Britain, Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Greece, Korea, Cyprus, Serbia, Russia and Ukraine participated in the workout of the conference.
 
Salutatory words were pronounced by the secretary general of the Ministry of Marine Fleet and Island politics Evangelos Kyriazopoulos, the President of Association of Greek Passenger Shipping Companies Michalis Sakellis, the President of the Union Greek Cruise Operators and Associated Members Theodore Kontes, the Director of RINA Trevor Blakeley and the President of the Greek Institute of Marine Technologies Michael Mantzafos.
 
The key report "Fuel Cell Concept use on Cruise Ships" was prepared by Maria Garbarini, the head of the department of cruise ferryboats and vessels of Registro Italiano Navale classification society. Representative of the Greek branch of this classification society was a lecturer.
 
The senior scientific researcher of the Marine Engineering Bureau, RINA member, Ph.D., Alexander Egorov has presented the report "River and River-Sea Cruise Passenger Ships. Operation Experience, Prognosis and Novel Designs".
 
In the report research of operational experience, including risk analysis and reliability of river and river-sea cruise passenger vessels is carried out. Technical recommendations from the position of navigation and ecological safety are given on the basis of the achieved results.
 
Operational conditions for river cruise passenger vessels are more quite than for cargo ones: as a rule, constant and more experienced crew and staff; smaller draughts and rarely getting aground; insignificant changes of loading conditions; later navigation start and earlier finish than cargo vessels, so ice damages' risk is practically excluded; sides' protection by crinolines, so level of side construction damage is low despite on often moorings and lockings; there are no aggressive cargoes and grab cargo operations.
 
Accordingly, corrosive wear for passenger vessels is in 2-4 times lower than for cargo ones. For example, for 301 prj. vessel corrosive wear for hull construction is of 2-6% for 30 years. Increase of corrosive wear is detected at deck construction in the area of living compartments (places of bilge waters) and at the sewage tanks.
 
From the position of shipping and ecologic safety, the following technical measures are proposed in order to minimize risk on stage of passenger vessels design:
 
1. Don't permit usage of opened holes (illuminators) within watertight hull boundaries;
 
2. Don't permit non-symmetrical stores arrangement, which can lead to the list appearance during operation;
 
3. Don't permit placing of oil liquids (fuel oil, lubricated oil, oily water) in tanks adjacent with outboard water;
 
4. To use up-to-date evacuation systems (as at marine passenger vessels) as life-saving means;
 
5. To equip PS by duty activity storing apparatus (voyage recorder) and means of emergency outer signaling (EPIRB);
 
6. To use electronic charts and means of automatic coordinates determination.
 
Increased risk of failures due to ships' age increase for river and river-sea cruise passenger ones was shown. Conclusion about necessity of construction of new generation passenger vessels is made.
 
Short-term and mean-term solution of a problem due to cruise passenger vessels sufficient reliability and safety providing while keeping reasonable efficiency level is possible at system approach usage on all stages of vessels' life cycle; including stages of classification and Regulations' requirements, design, operation, survey, repairing and modernization.
 
The cardinal long-term decision of a problem demands new fleet construction.
 
It is shown, that by 2025 there will be approximately 87 passenger vessels in operation, including new ones; and by 2030 there will be approximately 53 ones (without consideration vessels s which can be constructed during these years, but are not ordered yet).
 
By 2030 reduction of passenger capacity is foreseen by 52,72 % down to 11631 persons (without taking into account possible reduction of passenger capacity due to deep modernization of others cruise vessels and incoming new ones).
 
New generation cruise passenger vessels already are under construction: "wheel" small-draught cruise passenger vessel of PKS-180 prj. (2 ones, putting in operation is planned for 2020), PV300 "Mustay Karim" (is launched, putting in operation is planned for 2020), PV300VD "Petr Velikiy" (is launched, putting in operation is planned for 2021).
 
Offered for construction cruise fleet includes not only vessels at building stage (PV300VD, PV300), but also whole "line-up" of vessels: from PV500 ones for a line Moscow - Saint Petersburg - Astrakhan for 500 passengers and up to vessels (on a basis of "wheel" ones, PV09, PV11) for 100-150 passengers that can work through new routes (e.g. Saint Petersburg - Velikiy Novgorod, Moscow - Velikiy Novgorod, "The Gold Ring ", the Oka River, Moscow, Saint-Petersburg - Solovky, Ladoga - Saint-Petersburg - Saimaa, eastern rivers).