News of our company

The conversion of dry-cargo vessel "Aston Challenger" into tanker assigned for transportation of vegetable oils and petrolium products with flash point >60°C has been completing. Vessels deadweight is of 2576 tons.
 
"ASTON" group of companies is a shipowner (Vadim Vikulov is a president).
 
Project RST09.02 is designed by the Marine Engineering Bureau (MEB).
 
The project purpose is to design vegetable oil carrier - tanker in accordance with newly requirements of revised MARPOL 73/78 Annex II (Resolution MEPC.118(52)) and requirements of International Code for the Construction and Equipment of Ships Carrying Dangerous Chemical in Bulk (IBC Code) revised by Resolution MEPC.119(52).
 
After re-equipment vessel will satisfy KM Ice1 R2-RSN Oil tanker (>60°C) / Chemical tanker type 2 (ESP) class notation of Russian Maritime Register of Shipping and be assigned for transportation of vegetable oil and petrolium products with flash point >60°C.
 
It's notably to mark that biggest part of tankers used earlier for vegetable oils transportation were ejected from this business after coming into force Resolutions MEPC.118(52) and 119(52) on 01.01.2007 (Resolutions were adopted on 15.10.2004). This decision was made due to vessel's construction and equipment don't meet requirements of mentioned Resolutions.
 
For example, Resolution MEPC.119(52) includes vegetable oils (even sunflower seed one) into dangerous chemical that can pollute sea. Thus requirements to the vessels carried vegetable oils are equal to the requirements to chemical tankers type 2.
 
Practically this means for vessel necessity to have double bottom and sides in the cargo area and 2-compartments unsinkability. Dimensions of double bottom and sides must satisfy MARPOL 73/78 requirements.
 
Among last built vessels only RST22 and 005RST01 projects ones fully satisfy to up-to date vegetable oil carriers requirements.
 
Taking into consideration high rate investments for building such type vessel shipowner decided to re-equip dry cargo vessel for this purposes.
 
Principal particulars of RST09.02 prj vessel are as follows:
 
Overall length is of 89.67 m.
 Length between perpendiculars is of 81.40 m.
 Breadth is of 12.00 m.
 Depth is of 5.80 m.
 Draught (Summer Freeboard) is of 4.00 m.
 Deadweight with the draught of 4.00 m is of 2576 tons.
 Deadweight with the draught of 3.60 m (in the river) is of 2084 tons.
 Cargo tanks' capacity is of 2374 cub. m.
 Cargo tanks number is of 6.
 Settling tanks' capacity is of 207 cub. m.
 Settling tanks number is of 6.
 Main engines' capacity is of 2 x 460 kWt.
 Crew consists of 12 persons.
 Cruising speed is of 10 kn.
 
Cargo tanks were formed by mounting of trunk instead of cargo holds' coamings and mounting of additional longitudinal and transverse crimp bulkheads inside the hull. Trunk deck is of external framing type that provides high-quality stripping of cargo tanks.
 
Cargo system is equipped with 2 Marflex submerge pumps with capacity of 100 cub.m per hour each. More over single Marflex submerge pump with capacity of 50 cub.m per hour is foreseen for slop tanks.
 
During re-equipment vessel's fire-fighting systems were adjusted in accordance with SOLAS-74 requirements. Vessel was re-equipped with foam fire-fighting system for cargo tanks and with fire alarm system for living quarters and official compartments among other works.
 
Vessel's power plant includes three 100 kWt diesel-generators and single 50 kWt emergency generator. Power plant was re-equipped by moving emergency generator fron intermediate deck onto upper deck.
 
Navigational equipment meets RS Rules requirements as for vessels with GT less than 3000. Radio equipment allows vessel's operations either on inland waterways or in A1, A2 and A3 sea regions.
 
Free fall boat is used as common life saving appliance. More over lifting life raft and throw-off life raft are foreseen "Aston Challenger" is the third vessel in the RST09 series after "Aston Trader" and "Aston Explorer".