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On November 19, 2009 in Moscow "Investment attraction of sea and river transport of RF" conference was held.
 
Conference was held within International transport forum "RF transport: establishment, development, perspectives" that had been dedicated to the 200th anniversary of creation of transport and transport education single authority.
 
Four main blocks were overviewed at the conference: general perspectives of investment activity towards sea and river transport, and also mechanisms and opportunities of investing into fleet, port infrastructure and personnel potential of the branch.
 
Head of Federal Agency of sea and river transport of RF Ministry of Transport, Aleksandr Davydenko, head of department of public policy of sea and river transport of RF Ministry of Transport, Aleksey Klyavin and other colleagues were among the speakers.
 
General director of marine engineering bureau, professor, Sc. Dr, Gennadiy Egorov made a report "From Belyana to the up-to-date gas carriers - realization of fleet re-equipment and renovation programs" during discussion of questions' block of "Investing towards the fleet".
 
Development of national economy will require to increase transportation capacity by sea and river transport as was marked in the report. It supposed to increase transportation capacity and freight turnover by sea transport 3.2 times more for innovation plan RF development by 2015. Sea vessels under Russian flag will have to transport 3.4 times more during foreign voyages, river-sea going vessels - 1.7 times more than in 2007. It is supposed to shift cargo traffic gradually to the North and Far East.
 
Actually perspectives of Russian market towards fleet renewal/increasing are quite good. It is necessary to replace the vessels in all segments both sea and river transport, plus technical and port fleet, plus almost absent fleet for providing hydrocarbons raw resources.
 
There were 1800 vessels of sea transport vessels in the USSR with summarized deadweight of 22.5 million tons that provided 40% of foreign-trade transportations. Nowadays part of foreign-trade transportations under Russian flag is only of 4%.
 
There were about 1500 sea transport vessels with summarized deadweight about 12.5 million tons under control of Russia in April, 2005 by estimate of "The Scandinavian Shipping Gazette" journal. There were 1130 vessels (with tonnage of 1000 register tons and more) with summarized deadweight about 5.747 million tons under RF flag, including 215 tankers, 718 dry cargo vessels, 28 bulk carriers, 27 chemical carriers, 35 oil-and-ore carriers, 14 ro-ro ships, 7 liquid carriers, 51 refrigerator vessel, 15 passenger vessels, 8 cargo-passengers vessels in 2007 according to data of site "The world factbook" of CIA. There are 469 vessels under control of Russian ship owners that are registered under other counties' flags.
 
In fact, there are 430 sea vessels with summarized deadweight about 10 million tons under RF control at present time. Average age of sea vessels is about 18, and this value is more than 24 years for vessels under RF flag.
 
Up-to-date statistics adds vessels with restricted sailing regions and river-sea going vessels (RSN) that are operated onto foreign voyages (vessels' summarized deadweight is about 6.2 million tons) to the sea vessels. Considerable part of these vessels were re-equipped from the inland-waterway vessel in the nineties of XX century.
 
There were 2174 river-sea going vessels (including 1190 vessels that were operated onto foreign voyages) under supervision of Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (RS) and Russian River Register (RRR). There were 265 self-propelled vessels of II RS class notation, 584 ones of II SP class notation, 272 ones of III SP class notation. Average age of vessels with RS class notation exceeded 24 years. Average age of vessels with RRR class notation is even more (about 30 years).
 
Most part of oil tankers of river-sea going and inland-waterways type has deadweight from 600 to 5000 tons, that's why requirements of MARPOL 73/78 towards presence and dimensions of double bottom and double sides are covered these vessels.
 
There are no tankers under supervision of RRR that satisfy the requirements of MARPOL 73/78. There are only 2 vessels from 27 ones (7%) with class notation of RS IIISP that satisfy the international requirements, 19 vessels from 86 ones (22%) with class notation of RS IISP satisfy the international requirements, 12 vessels from 41 ones (29%) with class notation of RSII satisfy the international requirements, 16 vessels from 57 ones (28%) with class notation of RS I satisfy the international requirements.
 
Average age of vessels of RSN fleet is 24-30 years depending on purpose and flag with designed life term from 25 to 35 years that was marked into technical project of these vessels.
 
Actual conditions of RSN vessels' operation considerably differ from conditions that were based on during designing. Considerable increasing of relative time of being into dynamic loadings and salt water conditions caused considerable decreasing of resource of vessels' hull. Existing hulls of river-sea going vessels have nearly reached the end of tear and fatigue resource.
 
In total, it may be concluded that tear of main funds have become critical and have reached 51.2% in sea transport and 69.7% in inland waterways transport.
 
Concrete plans are represented at Federal Program "Development of Russian Federation transport system in 2010-2015".
 
E.g., estimate of FSUC "Gosmorspasslyzba Rossii" first-priority purpose for supporting salvage readiness and providing safety at sea is to build 4 multi-purpose salvage vessels (MPSV)with capacity of 7 MWt for Far East, North and Baltic basins, 4 MPSV with capacity of 4 MWt for Black and Azov Seas and North-Caspian basins, 4 sea diving vessels with capacity of 0.9 MWt, 10 inshore diving boats with capacity of 0.3 MWt, 6 salvage buoy laying vessels with capacity of 0.3 MWt, and also 4 sea diving vessels of catamaran type, 4 multi-purpose salvage tugs with capacity of 2.5-3 MWt and 4 fire-fighting tugs by. Average age of the existing vessels that provide salvage readiness exceeded 24 years and it is supposed to discard 36 vessels from 64 existing ones till to 2015. More than 19 MPSVs, 12 supplying vessels and 30 diving vessels will be needed up to 2020, including 38 vessels up to 2015 that will allow to operate 66 vessels (i.e., per se, to keep today's level). For information, there were 126 specialized vessels and 12 supplying ones included in salvage fleet of UUSR on 01.01.1989.
 
It is also interesting situation towards river fleet. There were about 30 thousand vessels (!!!) in the beginning of 90s. It's necessary to replace (re-equip) considerable part of equipment of river technical fleet vessels, including diesel-generators at 32 dredging vessels, 215 buoy motor ships, 6 floating cranes, 9 self-propelled scows, 5 anchor boats, 3 bottom dredgers, 3 traveling vessels, 4 exploratory motor ships, 15 tug boats and push boats, 6 diving boats and other technical fleet vessels of public basin administration of waterways and navigation and canal named for Moscow. It is supposed to build 250 buoy vessels, 32 vessels for dimension and exploratory works, 22 dredging vessels, 32 supplying vessels, 16 ecological vessels and 115 patrol vessels after 2010.
 
It may look, of course, that it is absolutely "utopian" program. Though necessity to build a lot of vessels is not a problem, but the problem is that these vessels are really needed.
 
In perspective, it may be right to focus on building of fuelers and other supplying vessels. Transport vessels that are operated at Russian shallow and freezing ports, such as coasters, feeder vessels, shallow gas carriers (nobody in the world builds these carriers) and other vessels are also interesting.
 
Up-to-date "lines" of transport river-sea going vessels ((link (638 kb)), fueler vessels ((link (497 kb)), dredging vessels ((link (406 kb)) for Russian customers were given as an example of system approach to the solution of assigned task in the report with dozens examples and project of new generation vessels.
 
It was marked that new vessels' building and re-equipment of existing ones are need to carry out on two main directions: vessels with national importance must be financed at expense of budget, vessel with commercial purpose must be financed at expense of private investments of different kinds (from direct financing and to the leasing as form of public support).
 
In conclusion of report there were given "minimum" needs of Russian Federation towards new fleet getting (during the period up to 2015) that were estimated as:
 
• Passenger and cargo-passenger vessels - 30-35;
• Sea transport vessels - 186-198;
• River passenger vessels - 5;
• Transport river-sea going vessels - 90-100;
• Transport inland waterways vessels - 220-260;
• Ice breakers - 6;
• Vessels proving salvage readiness - 38-40;
• Hydrographic vessels and vessels for state functions in the ports - 46-48;
• Vessels for commercial operation in the ports (tug boats, fuelers and dredgers) - 54-76;
• Vessels for providing of internal waterways operation - 352.