News of our company

The Volga Shipping Company's liquid bulk carrier fleet, including the 5,745-tonne RST54 project combined tanker "Professor Zakharov", has begun transporting fuel oil from Nizhny Novgorod Region during the 2021 river navigation, according to the shipping company's press service.
 
A series of seven RST54 combination vessels were built by the Oka Shipyard (director Vladimir Kulikov) in 2014-2016.
 
The designer is the Marine Engineering Bureau.
 
According to the report, during May holidays, vessels and barges of Volga Shipping started active loading of the first fuel oil batches at Kstovo oil base in Nizhny Novgorod Region. It is planned that a total of 17 units of Volga Shipping fleet, including 8 tankers and 3 OT vessels, each with two liquid barges, will be engaged for carriages of these liquid cargoes via Kstovo-Vysotsk route in the navigation period of 2021.
 
It should be noted that among the vessels mentioned above, the Volgo-Don Max class combined river-sea tanker, which received a new name of "Professor Zakharov" at the end of 2020, was the first vessel to transport fuel oil from Nizhny Novgorod Region to the north of the country in its first navigation season.
 
In honour of the 90^th anniversary of the founding of Volga State Water Transport University, the Volga Shipping Company management has decided to name this modern vessel (former "Volga-Flot 10") of RST54 project after Vasily Zakharov, the famous river craftsman and scientist.
 
Vasily Nikolayevich started his career in the Volga United River Shipping Company and then for over 30 years headed the Volga State Water Transport Academy (VGVT).
 
- With the new name on board "Professor Zakharov", we set off on May 9 for the first cargo voyage of the 2021 navigation season," said the vessel's captain, Sergey Grebeshechnikov. - It is interesting that before, during all 5 years of the vessel's work we used to carry liquid cargoes only in south direction. And now Professor Zakharov will explore a new navigation area and transport fuel oil from Nizhny Novgorod region to the north - to the oil depot in Vysotsk.
 
The Project RST54 tanker-platform "Professor Zakharov", a combined Volgo-Don Max class vessel of 5,745 tonnes deadweight, combines the functions of an oil tanker and a dry cargo vessel.
 
In 2020, Volga Shipping Company transported a total of 3.76 million tonnes of liquid cargo (light, dark oil products, crude oil, vegetable oils and molasses). Of these, fuel oil and heavy oil products accounted for more than 1.9 million tonnes.
 
The RST54 project's "Professor Zakharov" combined tanker-platform departed for its maiden commercial voyage on 27 April 2016.
 
Britain Royal Institution of Naval Architects included RST54 in the list of the best vessels of the year (Significant Ships of 2014). On 22.10.2015 m/v "Balt Flot 3" after masut unloading at the port of Vysotsk for the first time brought dry cargo (crushed stone) as a back voyage transportation from Karelian port of Ropruchey to Severniy River port of Moscow. It was the first RST54 vessel round voyages with loading for both directions.
 
According to the inclining test results of the head series' vessel, her river deadweight is 5745 t at draught 3.60 m. This is a record value for "Volgo-Don Max" vessels.
 
The character feature of the new concepts is "expanding" narrow places of inland water transport by using new technical decisions. Saying in other words, transportation ability is increased by maximal usage of actual way characteristics (maximal available vessel's length and breadth), and mainly by usage extremely fat hull contours, that have never used before in world's practice. Usage of RST54 combined vessels provides both directions cargo transportation (oil cargoes towards one direction and dry cargoes towards back direction); that should allow decrease highways rate due to re-forwarding some cargoes from road to water transportation. Such re-forwarded cargoes include passenger cars, that usually are brought from St.-Petersburg to central Russia by car transportation trucks and heavy containers that are prohibited for car trains transportation due to unallowable road load
 
RRR class notation is of M-PR2.5 (ice30) A.
 
As other mixed river-sea going tankers designed by marine Engineering Bureau, RST54 vessels use full-turn rudder propellers as single movement and manoeuvre unit.
 
RST54 vessels satisfy Volga-Don Canal dimensions such as Volgo-Balt Way ones. Vessel's overall length is of 140.85 m, breadth is of 16.60 m, depth is of 6.00 m, board height - 5.0 m. She belongs to the "Volgo-Don Max" class.
 
Tanker cargoes with flashpoint restriction for 60°C is provided in 10 cargo tanks (total capacity of 5446 cub.m.) and 2 slop tanks (total capacity of 207 cub.m.). All cargo tanks are separated from outer shell by double sides and double bottom. Dimensions of double constructions meet requirements of International MARPOL 73/78 Convention.
 
Cargo system provides closed cargo receiving by shore equipment and cargo discharge by vessel's submersible pumps. Manifolds provide cargo intake and discharge by both sides; they are arranged in the middle and aft parts of the cargo area. Transitional connectors are foreseen in the vessel's supply in order to provide manifolds' coupling with different diameters hoses. Maximal loading capacity for each cargo or slop tank is of 600 cub.m/hour. Summarizes loading capacity for the whole vessel is of 1200 cub.m/hour.
 
Heating system is served by two steam boilers (capacity of 2.5 t/hour); it provides cargo temperature keeping at level +60°C (when temperature of outboard air is not less than -10°C) and cargo heating from 50°C till 60°C during 36 hours.
 
Cargo area on the upper deck with 2 m barrier is intended for transportation of cargo that doesn't suffer from wetting (e.g. gravel, rolled metal, heavy containers, cars, etc.). Main deck shell within cargo area is designed for loading 5.5 t/sq.m and for grabs working. Main loading condition is 4700 t of gravel transportation on the open deck.
 
2-tier containers transportation is foreseen on the main deck; containers are installed on dunnage. Heavy 36 t TEU (120 pcs.) may be transported; these containers cannot be handled by car trains. Vessel's electric station provides ability to transport 45 refrigerator containers.
 
There is possibility to arrange special removing constructions that can be transformed into 2 additional car decks. Cars loading/unloading are carried out by their own through coastal ramps. Number of transported cars depends on their maximal dimensions (270-350 ones).
 
Two medium-speed diesels of 1200 kW each are used as main engines; they use heavy fuel oil with viscosity of IFO380. There is 230 kW bow thruster.
 
Speed (due to the draught of 3.6 m and 85% of ME power) is 11.0 kn.
 
Ship's electric power plant consists of 3 diesel-generators of 296 kW capacity, and emergency diesel-generator of 62 kW capacity.
 
Crew consists of 12 people (places - 14 + pilot.).
 
Vessel's autonomy is of 20 days (due to fuel, water and provision reserves).