News of our company

On 28.03.14 OJSE Moscow River Shipping Company (MRSC) accepted into operation at once two "super fat" RST27 tankers "Valentin Gruzdev" (building No. 02011) and "Dmitry Pokrovsky" (building No. 02012) with marine/river deadweight 7022/5420 t.
 
Krasnoe Sormovo Shipyard (Nikolay Zharkov is a general director) is a builder.
 
Project RST27 was designed by Marine Engineering Bureau.
 
MRSC is going to operate already 5 mixed river-sea going tankers; mv "Valentin Gruzdev" and mv "Dmitry Pokrovsky" were added to RST25 vessels built in 2012-2013 at Brothers Nobel Shipyard in Rybinsk, namely mv "Alexander Shemagin", "Pavel Yudin", "Yuliy Makarenkov". Astrakhan Shipyard "Lotos" are being built two more RST25 tankers for MRSC; also several other variants of company's oil fleet enlargement are considered.
 
RST27 vessels have hull with record block coefficient of 0.936. The head vessel showed speed of 11.7 kn during trials at running line while main engines power was of 2100 kWt (0.875 of main engines' output) and fore/aft draughts of 3.2/3.3 m.
 
The contract deadweight of 6980/5378 is increased at Kherson tankers for 42 t, contract speed is increased for more than 1 kn.
 
New project tanker has increased river function comparing with other Marine Engineering Bureau projects. River deadweight of RST27 prj. vessels is increased for 732 t comparing to Armadas, while:
 
• increased hull strength (vessel is of R2 sailing region, or region II due to old RS classification);
• practically keeping the same fuel consumption;
• keeping increased capacity of cargo tanks.
 
Russian Maritime Registry of Shipping class notation is of KM Ice1 R2 AUT1-ICS OMBO VCS ECO-S Oil tanker (ESP).
 
As other river-sea going Marine Engineering Bureau tankers, RST27 vessels use full-circle rudder propellers as single movement and manoeuvre facilities. They have increased trunk and use submersible cargo pumps. They have no longitudinal bulkhead in CL and no framing in cargo tanks.
 
RST27 vessels satisfy dimensions of the Volga-Don Canal and Volga-Baltic Way. Overall RST27 vessel length is of 140.85 m, breadth is of 16.6 m, depth is of 6.0 m. They belong to "Volgo-Don Max" class.
 
Special requirements of the Russian and world petroleum companies, additional ecological RS limitations of "ECO PROJECT" (ECO-S) class were taken into consideration during designing.
 
RST27 vessels are assigned for transportation of crude oil and oil products, without flash point restrictions.
 
Total capacity of six cargo tanks and two slop ones is of 8100 cub. m, deadweight is about 7030 tons with sea draught of 4.20 m. Deadweight is about 5428 tons with river draught of 3.60 m. Cruising speed is of 10.5 knots.
 
Cargo system provides simultaneously transportation of 2 cargoes. Cargo pumps capacity is of 6 x 200 cub. m/hour. Two auxiliary steam boilers (capacity of 2.5 t/hour each) are installed onboard.
 
Two medium-speed diesels (main engine) of 1200 kWt each use heavy fuel oil with viscosity of IFO380. Bow thruster is of 230 kWt.
 
Electrical plant consists of three 292 kWt diesel-generators and emergency-staying 136 kWt diesel-generator.
 
Crew consists of 12 persons (14 places + pilot).
 
Autonomy is of 20/12 days (sea/river).
 
Keel of mv "Valentin Gruzdev" (building No. 02011) was laid down on 27.09.12. She was launched on 17.05.13 and put into operation on 28.03.14.
Keel of mv "Dmitry Pokrovsky" (building No. 02012) was laid down on 31.10.12. She was launched on 28.05.13 and put into operation on 28.03.14.
 
Brief biography notes
 
The first tanker is named in honour of former MRSC chief engineer, Valentin A. Gruzdev, who has devoted to river fleet more than 50 years of his life.
 
Valentin Gruzdev was born on 29.06.1936 in village Malyshino of area Manturovskiy region of the Kostroma province. In 1955 he graduated from Velikiy_Ustyug river school (technician -navigator), in 1960 he graduated Gorkiy River Transport Engineers Institute (River Fleet Ministry). He occupied consecutive position in 1960-1964, as follows: 2nd and 1st Navigator passenger vessels "A.Vyshinskiy", "Soviet Union", "Ernest Telman" and Reserve Master of gas vessel "Burevestnik". From 1964 till 1975 he was used as fleet deputy of director of Shipbuilding-Shiprepairing Yard named for 40th Anniversary of Great October (SSY40G) in the Gorkiy province; from 1075 till 1981 he was used as director of this Yard. SSY40G was the main base for staying, repairing and supply-technical maintenance of the passenger fleet of Volga-Oka River Shipping Company (VORSC). The first hydrofoil crafts "Raketa-1", "Meteor-1", "Chaika", "Sputnik", Voskhod-1", "Burevestnil" and amphibian hovercraft "Sormovich" use SSY40G as a base and were learned by its specialists.
 
In those years SSY40G constructed nine R19 cargo motor catamarans and two passenger catamarans "Otdykh" and "Otdykh-1".
 
From 1981 till 1984 Valentin Gruzdev was used as head of Passenger Transportation Department and head deputy of Technical Department in the RSFSR River Fleet Ministry. From 1984 he was used as Chief Engineer and First Deputy of General Director / Technical Department Director of Moscow River Shipping Company; from 2000 he was used as First Deputy of General Director of OJSE Moscow River Shipping Company (MRSC). In 2006 he entered to the OJSE MRSC Board of Directors and took part in solving of high complex problems of MRSC development.
 
His high professionalism, utter devotion to MRSC and friendliness cause authority and deep respect to him in company.
 
Merits of Valentin A. Gruzdeva were marked by high state and departmental awards. He was awarded by order "Sign of Honour", medal "For valorous work in commemoration of the 100-anniversary from Lenin's birthday", medal "300 years of Russian fleet ", medal "In memory of the 850-anniversary of Moscow", two gold medals VDNH, signs "Honourable worker of river fleet" and "Honourable worker the Russian Federation transport".
 
On August, 20, 2011 V.A. Gruzdev has died.
 
The second tanker is named in honour of the outstanding engineer and the organizer of native river fleet Dmitry D. Pokrovskiy.
 
Dmitry D. Pokrovskiy was born on 23.03.1915 in Moscow. Till 1932 he lived together with parents in small town Gorokhovets on Klyazma River (Vladimir province) and studied at school at local shipyard.
 
Naturally the young man started early to interest to river fleet; further on he decided to become the expert in the given area. In short time the young man left for Stalingrad in order to enroll to shipbuilding technical school.
 
In 1932 Dmitry has graduated from shipbuilding technical school, his speciality was "construction hull of steel vessels". This speciality promised good prospect due to alternations in shipbuilding, because at that moment steel has changed wood as main material for fleet production.
 
Dmitry Pokrovskiy commenced his working life as designer at Central Construction Bureau "RechSudProekt" of Heavy Industry Narkomat (Ministry) of the USSR in Gorkiy (now at Central Construction Bureau "Vympel" in Nizhniy Novgorod).
 
In 1940 Dmitry Pokrovskiy among the first Stalin grant holders graduated with honour from Gorkiy River Transport Engineers Institute (now Volga State River Transport Academy) and start to work at Rybinsk Shipyard named to Volodarskiy (now Brothers Nobel shipyard).
 
From 1944 till 1948 he was used as Chief Engineer at several plants of Nizhniy Novgorod region, firstly at Gorodetsk mechanical plant and then at "Teplokhod" mechanical plant at Bor town. These plants produced hand grenades, bodies of mines and "Katyusha" shells for army. Dmitry Pokrovskiy was awarded by Red Labour Flag order due to efficient fulfilling of Defense Committee production tasks and production's quality high providing.
 
After The Great Patriotic War Dmitry Pokrovskiy continued being as Chief Engineer at "Teplokhod" plant. Despite objective problems (such as lack of production spaces and experienced workers) the plant was able to produce vessels' steam machines and boilers, crankshafts and other big details. The plant firstly introduced unique forging-stamping press into smith's shop activities.
 
In 1948 Dmitry Pokrovskiy took up a post of Chief Engineer of Volga cargo-passenger River Shipping Company; at the end of 1949 he became a Head of The Central Production Department of RSFSR River Fleet Ministry. In 1951-1953 Dmitry Pokrovskiy was used as a Head of Main Administration of Industrial Plants; in 1954-1955 he was used as a head of Main Administration of Fleet's Supply.
 
Being a member of Minrechflot Board, during this period Dmitriy Pokrovsky was engaged in carrying out of a reform in sphere of fleet maintenance service, when vessels were transferred to balance of the ship-repair yards and repair -operational bases; also introduction of holding of more than one appointment by crew members.
 
He could show his engineering talent and organizing abilities in 1956-1975 most brightly, when he held a post of the Head of Main Technical Department of Minrechflot. In particular, at that period it became possible to improve considerably level of vessels' technical characteristics and increase more than twice crew work efficiency due to application of overall automation of power units and remote steering and control of main engines.
 
Under the direction of Dmitriy Pokrovskyk strategy of the further development and improvement of river fleet has been prepared; ability of creation of mixed river-sea going vessels was proved together with developing of vessels' creation conditions. Later on river-sea going vessels themselves were constructed.
 
A lot of Soviet period achievements are connected with his name; they include, as follows:
 
• new vessels' types, e.g. comfortable passenger hydrofoil or hover crafts of "O" class for operation through water storage basins; high power tug-pushers; high capacity cargo barge trains;
• essentially new and more simple mechanisms for steering of powerful pushers and high capacity barge trains with the help of turning nozzles with the separate control;
• ecological technical means such as autonomy stations for cleaning and disinfection of dirty domestic and oily waters and station for fresh water treatment;
• methods of technical-economic justification and selecting perspective vessels' types for further design and construction.
 
The real revolution in river fleet sphere was made by automatic coupling devices for various vessels, including high power pushers and high capacity barge trains. These coupling devices have no analogues in shipbuilding history; they were created by collectives of scientists and designers with direct participation of Dmitriy Pokrovskiy.
 
Up to the beginning of 70-s river fleet was renewed and in technical sphere reached (for some parameters even exceeded) level of the USA and other countries.
 
This is a result of the long-term and enormous work done by native experts to which deservedly is included Dmitry Pokrovskiy.
 
In 1972 he with colleagues has received the State Premium of the USSR "For creation and serial construction of a new class of the mixed river-sea going vessels and for realization highly effective without transshipment cargo transportations on the foreign and inland lines".
 
Dmitry Pokrovsky used the deserved authority not only from shipbuilders, but also from everybody who was close to him (e.g. representatives of science, technical, culture and sports spheres). He was respected and appreciated for high erudition, experience and professionalism. He was awarded by order "Sign of Honour", medal, ministry honorable distinctions, title "The Honoured worker of the Russian Federation transport".
 
After retirement he worked some time as the editor at "River Transport" magazine. In 1978 Dmitry Pokrovsky was accepted in the Union of Journalists.
 
On January, 06, 2013 D.D. Pokrovskiy has died.