News of our company

On 07.12.12 the conference "Economics of water transport" within the VI international forum "Transport of Russia" with participation of the Federal Agency of Maritime and River Transport of Russia was held in Moscow.
 
A lot of problems were considered at the conference including as follows: the strategy of development of maritime and inland transport waterways, including advanced development of ports and increasing of their attractiveness, priority development of inland transport waterways and shifting of freight flow towards the inland waterway transport, increasing of Russian Maritime fleet competitiveness and reducing of reliance on imports of maritime transport services.
 
The deputy minister of Transport of RF Viktor Olerskiy, the head of the Federal Agency of Maritime and River Transport Alexander Davydenko, the president of the "Association of shipping companies" Alex Klyavin, the chairman of OJSC "Volga Shipping Co." Rishat Bagautdinov, the general director of JSC "Moscow River Shipping Co." Konstantin Anisimov, the chief engineer of "Lena United River Shipping Co." Andrey Prikhno and other colleagues took part in the discussion.
 
Gennadiy Egorov, general director of Marine Engineering Bureau, prof., Sc. Dr. made a report "The Russian river shipbuilding and its influence on water transport". He pointed in his speech the results of analysis of works at river shipyards in the XXI century, their workload, the number of building vessels' orders with different purposes, terms of order execution and their influence on the economy of water transport industry in whole.
 
Here was shown that transport vessels were built by efforts of leading private shipowners such as "Volga Shipping Co.", "North Western Shipping Co.", "Palmali Group" and "Moscow River Shipping Co.". However, here was said about mixed sea-river going vessels because purely river vessels had the payback period of 20-25 years (due to legislation effected until the last year), which is not acceptable to a private investor.
 
The main factors affecting to the terms of payback for river vessels are:
 
• seasonality of work on inland waterways (in the optimistic case, April - November);
• bandwidth of "bottlenecks" (gateways, bridges);
• depth (loss of ten centimeters of draught for "Volga-Don Max" class vessel is equivalent to underloading of 210-220 tons).
 
About 217 mixed river-sea going cargo vessels were built during 12 years of the new century (as for the beginning of October 2012).
 
The vessels of "Volga-Don Max" class, which are responsible for dimensions of the Volga-Don Shipping Canal and intended for replacing of the famous soviet series "Volgoneft" and "Volga-Dons." were and are the most demanded.
 
Number of such vessel is 112 units or 52% of the total number of newly built cargo vessels. Moreover Russian shipyards provided building of 79 cargo vessels and tankers of this class (71%), 15 ones were built by Turkish shipyards, 10 ones were built by Ukrainian shipyards and 8 ones were built by Chinese shipyards.
 
At the other segments of the cargo fleet 75 ships (71%) were built in Russia, 16 ones were built in Turkey, 14 ones were built in China and Vietnam.
 
Mostly it was talked about a new generation of vessels, as they were built basing on projects developed after the 2000б as follows: 118 vessels, or 54% were built due to Marine Engineering Bureau projects, 53 vessels were built due to projects of Volga-Caspian Bureau ("Krasnoe Sormovo" bureau), and 25 vessels were built due to projects of "Vympel" Bureau.
 
According to the measures adopted by the government, the transition to the building of cargo vessels that have more developed river function occurs, such as:
 
• "estuary" river dry cargo vessels of "Volga-Don Max" class of RSD44 project with lowered air draught, allowing to pass under the bridges of the Neva River and under the Rostov-on-Don railway bridge without drawing;
• RST27 and RST25 mixed river-sea going tankers of "Volga-Don Max" class with an increased river capacity;
• self-propelled river platform vessels of RSD54 project and intended for open deck transportation of cargoes that are not suffered of wetting (gravel, rolling, containers, etc.); dimensions of these vessels allow to sluice as the second hull in locks of Volga-Baltic waterway;
• barge-tug trains.
 
Another river vessels were built in Russia after 2000 except building of high tonnage (in river means) self-propelling fleet, as follows: 14 tug boats and pushers, more than non self-propelled barges, 1 triple-deck cruise passenger vessel "Alexander Grin", small draught wheel cruise passenger vessel "Sura" and about 50 small pleasure crafts for St. Petersburg and Moscow. Also more than 200 of different purpose crafts were built.
 
It was pointed in the report that state legislative support (federal law due to state support of shipping and shipbuilding No. 305-FZ), Federal Purpose Plan "Development of Russian transport system (2010-2015) and state leasing companies atomization gave possibility to start work on river fleet renewal within state liability zone (technical fleet) and within those commercial segments that were not funded by business due to very big payback period.
 
"Lines" of typical vessel worked out during 2008-2012 due to order of Federal Agency of Maritime and River Transport were demonstrated, as follows:
 
• for providing salvage readiness (21 vessels are built yet!!!);
• for providing way conditions (more than 60 vessels are under building now);
• bunker vessels and ecological vessels (5 vessels are under building now);
• inland and river-sea going tankers and tow-barge trains;
• inland and river-sea going dry cargo vessels.
 
New generation transport vessels of "Volgo-Don Max" type were ordered, as follows:
 
1. 10 river-sea going tankers of RTS27 prj. were ordered at Krasnoe Sormovo Shipyard. 9 ones were built this year (there were only 5 due to plans). For information: minimal neediness for new tankers of RST22, RST25 or RST27 prj. is estimated as 70 ones.
 
2. Oka Shipyard put into operation 9th and 10th river RSD44 dry cargo vessels (first 8 ones were put into operation in 2011). 15 tankers of RTS27 prj. were ordered; 5 were put into operation, one more was launched. It is expected that shipyard will continue building modified series of RSD44 dry cargo vessels. Minimal neediness for dry cargo vessel in return for Volgo-Don ones is estimated as 50-60 ones.
 
3. 10 river-sea going RSD49 dry cargo vessels were ordered at Nevskiy Shipyard. This project is modification of RSD19 prj. that was built earlier at Volgograd Shipyard. Moreover in November shipyard put into operation the lead 4MWt salvage vessel "Spasatel Karev" with enhanced ice class; other three ones are under construction. First 2 vessels of RSD49 prj. were put into operation in November also.
 
4. The lead river-sea going RTS25 tanker was put into operation at Brothers Nobel Shipyard (Rybinsk) in 2012. The second tanker is under putting into operation, the third one is launched. Earlier shipyard put into operation 6 booms-handling crafts for FBC "Gosmorspasslyzba Rossii". Tanker barges for the Lensk Shipping Co. are under construction.
 
5. 2 river-sea going RSD49 dry cargo vessels were ordered at Lotos Shipyard. Also 2 tankers of RST25 prj. are under construction. Earlier 2 barges for Arc Shipping Co. were put into operation.
 
6. 2 tankers of RST25 prj. were launched at Zelenodolsk Shipyard. The lead one departed for Taganrog in order to be accepted for operation.
 
7. 3 tankers of RST27 prj. were ordered at Kherson Shipyard such as 2 tankers of RST26 prj. The lead RST27 tanker is launched yet.
 
New auxiliary vessels creation moved from the "dead point". Technical river fleet is building, as follows, at:
 
1. Nizhegorodskiy Teplokhod Shipyard. The tug boats of TG04 prj. for Rosmorport and Norilsk Nikel were put into operation. 2 multifunction buoy crafts of BLV02 prj. are under construction.
2. Yaroslavl Shipyard. 6 buoy crafts of "O" class and 3 bunkering tankers of RT18 prj. are under construction.
3. Moscow Shipyard. Buoy crafts of "R" class, passenger vessels of "Stolichniy" type and multifunctional boats for Rosmorport are under construction.
4. Sosnovka Shipyard. 2 supply vessels for Kamchatka of DCV47 prj. were put into operation (2 ones were put into operation in 2011). 2 ecological vessels of RT29 prj. are under construction.
 
Problem concerning replacement of hardly aged river passenger fleet stays unsolved. Due to expert assessment soon or later corresponding state support should be guaranteed. Shipyards will receive orders for new passengers vessels building, not only for cruise purposes but for domestic lines. Domestic lines are of principal interest of Siberia, Russian North and Far East.
 
Parametric line of cruise river-sea going and river vessels was introduced at the conference. Vessels from this parametric line are interested for domestic shipowners", as follows:
 
1. Volgo-Balt Max class, (prj. PV500VB, vessel's dimensions are defined due to Volgo-Balt WaterWay conditions, passenger capacity about 500 persons). Operation at line from St.Petersburg to Moscow is proposed. Maximal dimensions and increased manoeuvrability due to full-circle rudder propellers and bow thrusters let work in Volga region including Astrakhan.
 
2. Volgo-Don Max class, (vessel's dimensions are defined due to Volgo-Don WaterWay conditions, passenger capacity about 250-300 persons). Operation at a number of lines is proposed, as follows: from St.Petersburg to Moscow; through Volgo-Don Canal with sailing to Azov Sea, Black Sea, Mediterranean, Red Sea; through Volga River with sailing to Caspian Sea; through Volgo-Bat Waterway with sailing to Baltic Sea and North Sea. Within general ideas concerning vessel's class 3 projects were discussed, as follows: PV300VD with ability of sea sailing, PV300 with ability of sailing through Ladoga and Onega Lakes at "M" class regions, PV250 with ability of sailing through Ladoga and Onega Lakes at "0" class regions and through Volkhov River.
 
High interest induces passenger tug-barge train of PV250 concept that is been going to be operated at far cruise lines, as follows: from Moscow to St.Petersburg, from Moscow to Astralhan, from Moscow to Rostov-on-Don with sailing through Volgo-Don Canal and inland water regions of "O" class.
 
3. Danube Max class, (prj. PV200D, vessel's dimensions are defined due to Danube River conditions such as inter-basin Danube-Main-Rhine region, passenger capacity about 200 persons). Operation at Russian inland waterways is proposed such as at Danube River with sailing through Azov Sea, Black Sea and Mediterranean. Moreover operation at Danube-Main-Rhine is proposed with sailing through North Sea. Danube Max class vessel is able to operate at lines of Volgo-Balt Max class vessels, "Volgo-Don" Max class ones and Belomor-Baltiysk Max class ones.
 
4. Belomor-Baltiysk Max class, (prj. PV200BB, vessel's dimensions are defined due to Belomor-Baltiysk Canal conditions, passenger capacity about 200 persons). Operation at a number of lines is proposed, as follows: from St.Petersburg to Moscow; from St.Petersburg to Belomorsk through Belomor-Baltiysk Canal with sailing to White Sea and to the region of islands Solovetskie. Belomor-Baltiysk Max class vessel is able to operate at lines of Volgo-Balt Max class vessels and "Volgo-Don" Max class ones.
 
This class vessel is able make cruises from Moscow to Nizhniy Novgorod and from Moscow to Ufa keeping draught less than 1.40 m. Other words vessel can operate at Oka River and Belaya River conditions.
 
5. Vessels with passenger capacity of 100-150 persons.
 
Generally for our conditions traditional single hull type passenger vessel can be recommended. Module principles of creating inner living space should be used widely. Standard module cabins usage let alternate passenger capacity by using passenger cabin modules with different area (in accordance with required comfort level).
 
Principal feature is all-around looking ability especially for river cruises (thanks for sun deck, or fore saloon, or for walking galleries). In contrast to sea voyages view from both sides is interesting; river voyagers buy one way ticket so simple view from window or balcony isn't sufficient.
 
For safe and fast passengers evacuation up-to-date evacuation systems may be used. Such system consists of hose and reception platform. Passengers come down to the reception platform during evacuation and then are moved from the platform to the life rafts or boats. Sometimes passengers can come down to the safety craft directly.
 
Crew should be formed according to power plant automation level such as to automation of deck works (e.g. automation anchor-mooring winches), automation of supply loading and mechanization of decks cleaning (washing gauges etc,). Holding several offices by crew members may be considered also.
 
Module principles of forming living blocks in total and cabins themselves (standard cabins) were used for concept creation. Also vertical zoning of living and public compartments were used; restaurant, salons and bars are arranged in vertical zones separate from living compartments; noise spaces are not arranged above passenger or crew cabins. Total cabins area is 13 - 30 sq.m including balcony (cabins usually are double). The next compartments are foreseen: restaurants with total places equivalent to passengers number, conference room, bars, internet-salon, babies rooms, beauty salon, souvenir shop, fitness salon, solarium on open sun deck. Lifts connected all decks, communications and special lavatories are foreseen for physically challenged persons.
 
Cruise vessels concepts Volgo-Don Max (PV300VD) and Volgo-Balt Max (PV300VB) draw attention because they provide mostly economic attractive decisions for building new generation vessels.
 
In reality shipping companies themselves has no enough monetary funds for new fleet building. Same time Russian banks don't give low and long credits for river fleet building.
 
In such conditions leasing system for river fleet building basing on principles of co-financing from state, banks and fleet customers including state subsidies for compensation the part of expenditure for paying percents of credits and leasing payments is the mostly efficient mechanism for solving problems of new passenger fleet building.
 
Thereby solving the actual problem of renewal socially significant, ecological and safe passenger river fleet can be done taking state subsidies only.
 
It may be marked that there are widely known opinion that all acting Russian shipyards are "overloaded" by orders. This doesn't corresponding to the reality, even the leading Krasnoe Sormovo Shipyard has ability to accept building orders with completing term in 2013.
 
The main conclusion of the report is that new building order are vitally necessary for all our river shipyards.