News of our company

On 12.12.2014 a meeting of the working group on coordination, scientific, technical and organizational support of work on the implementation of the federal target program "Development of civil marine engineering for 2009-2016" took place in the Federal Agency of Maritime and River Transport. The meeting was held under the supervision of the Deputy of Head of RosMorRechflot Yuriy Kostin. Deputies of Head of RosMorRechflot Viktor Vovk and Alexander Poshivay participated in the meeting.
 
The General Director of Marine Engineering Bureau, professor, doctor of technical sciences Gennadiy Egorov reported during the meeting about results of concept projects of small-draught tug-barge trains for the Siberian rivers and railway ferryboats for Caspian and Baltic Seas.
 
Technical projects of railway ferryboat for transportation of railway wagons and Ro-Ro cargoes, with ice class "Arc 4" was discussed by the third.
 
The main preconditions for creating new railway ferryboats for line Ust-Luga - Baltiysk - Sassnitz (Mukran) were highlighted in the repot, as follows:
 
• absence of new ferryboats with maximal permissible dimensions and characteristics for line Ust-Luga - Baltiysk - Sassnitz (Mukran);
• practically absolute absence of alternative for delivery specific cargoes (including military ones) to the Kaliningrad region; ferryboat transportation is a single variant of cargo delivery without transportation through adjacent countries;
• necessity of new generation of ferryboats which meet the most up-to-date safety requirements including ecologic safety requirements (Baltic Sea is a special zone), especially during dangerous cargoes transportation. Ferryboat's LNG variant was investigated and worked out;
• necessity of ferryboats which are able for effective work at ice conditions of Ust-Luga port;
• proposal of Kaliningrad region Customs to equate Ust-Luga - Baltiysk crossing with inland voyages; in such case there is no necessity to pass border control, even two times per voyage. This initiative will decrease duration and difficulty of cargo delivery and will increase cargo flow for the line.
 
Due to 2013 data, there were 50 ferry services at Baltic region, and there were only 4 railway ones among them:
 
• Ust-Luga - Baltiysk - Sassnitz (Mukran) (automobile - passenger - railway crossing, ferryboats voyages at the line's part Baltiysk - Sassnitz are rarer then ones at the line's main part Ust-Luga - Baltiysk);
• Ust-Luga - Klaipeda - Sassnitz - Copenhagen (automobile - passenger - railway crossing, line's part Ust-Luga - Klaipeda is an alternative for line Ust-Luga - Baltiysk);
• Puttgarden (Germany) - Rodby (Denmark) (short ferry line that connects Germany and Denmark);
• Frederikshavn (Denmark) - Goteborg (Sweden).
 
After railway cargo-passenger ferryboat "Petersburg" left the line Ust-Luga - Baltiysk - Sassnitz, the line stopped to serve tourists and passengers with their own cars. There is possibility to take onboard drivers of commercial tracks (up to 12 people per voyage only).
 
The line Ust-Luga - Baltiysk - Sassnitz (Mukran) is the main railway ferry line for Russian Federation at Baltic Sea. This line allows to transport cargoes, technics and passengers from one country's region (Leningrad region) to another (Kaliningrad region) bypassing other countries. Only 800 thousand of cargoes were transported by the line in 2013 (by 25% less that in 2012). Cargo flow decreasing is explained by season factors (ice conditions at the Ust-Luga port are hard) and by customs problems (it is necessary to pass through the customs twice per voyage). The biggest part of the cargoes (up to 80% in perspective) at the line Ust-Luga - Baltiysk is railway tanks with oil products, i.e. dangerous cargoes.
 
Due to Autumn 2014 data, the mean age of marine railway ferryboats operated at the Baltic Sea (8 pcs) is 27.4 years.
 
The mean age of marine railway ferryboats operated at the line Ust-Luga - Baltiysk - Sassnitz (Mukran) (2 pcs) is 27 years.
 
It's may be noted that Mukran railway terminal in Sassnitz was designed and constructed in the middle of the 2000s for the "Mukran" type ferryboats (series' name is from here); totally 5 vessels were built. Unfortunately today only one series' vessel "Kaunas Seaways" calls to the port. Other 3 vessels are operated at the Black Sea (1 vessel by BFI, 2 ones by UkrFerry (one of the vessels is in time-charter)). The last ferryboat is in the Red Sea now (according to AIS information).
 
CNF05 Ferryboats of "Baltiysk" type which are operated now at the line Ust-Luga - Baltiysk - Sassnitz (Mukran) not fully use dimensions of railway ferry terminal.
 
As a result of investigations, Marine Engineering Bureau worked out CNF19 technical project of railway ferryboat for transportation of railway wagons and Ro-Ro cargoes, with ice class "Arc4". CNF19 ferryboat is intended for the line Ust-Luga - Baltiysk - Sassnitz (Mukran).
 
New CNF19 concept of railway ferryboat for the Baltic Sea is steel self-propelled vessel with ice class "Arc 4" with bulbous stem, with 3 cargo decks, with living superstructure and ER located aft, with double screw diesel propulsion unit, with single aft thruster and two bow thrusters.
 
Technical distinctive feature of developed new generation project is conformity to the most up-to-date safety requirements including ecologic safety requirements (Baltic Sea is a special zone), especially during dangerous cargoes transportation. For this providing ferryboat's LNG variant was investigated and worked out.
 
Despite earlier designed for RosMorPort project, CNF19 vessel is pure cargo one without passenger function. One may take into consideration that for the line Ust-Luga - Baltiysk passenger function has government donation character. Passenger requirements have significant influence to vessel's general arrangement and construction, also to her speed and power; all this essentially decrease wagons capacity and increased transportation self-cost. So decision to use pure cargo variant for the new concept provides payback of this project.
 
CNF19 vessel is intended for transportation up to 168 railway wagons of Russian standard with 1520 mm track breadth and other Ro-Ro cargoes (including dangerous ones), and up to 30 refrigerating containers. Vessel operational speed is 18 kn.
 
Vehicle technics loading may be fulfilled either from ferry terminals' bridges or from moving berth Ro-Ro bridges.
 
Main particulars of CNF19 vessel are, as follows:
 
RS class notation KM Arc4 AUT1-ICS OMBO ECO Ro-Ro ship;
length overall is 202.75 m;
length due to DWL is 193.70 m;
breadth overall is 27.40 m;
depth at the middle to the main deck is 8.60m;
depth at the middle to the upper deck is 15.00m;
draught (summer free board) is 7.00 m;
deadweight at draught 7.00 m is 18430 t;
summarized capacity of power plant is 20880 kW;
operational speed is 18 kn;
railway wagons (length 12.02 m) capacity is 168 pcs.;
crew/passengers capacity is 12/12 people;
fuel autonomy is 10 days.
 
Packed and bulk dangerous cargoes transportation is foreseen in wagons accordingly to IMDG Code classification. Dangerous goods list includes explosives, chemical goods and fertilizes, coal, crude oil and oil products in bulk, liquefied gases, etc. Also automobile technics with fuel in fuel tanks can be transported.
 
Accepted class notation of Russian Maritime Register of Shipping allows whole-year (even at hard ice conditions at Ust-Luga port) transportation of wagons and other Ro-Ro cargoes at the line Ust-Luga - Baltiysk - Sassnitz (Mukran).
 
Results of relative economic efficiency definition which was carried out by Central Research Maritime Fleet Institute (CRMFI) showed that ferryboats loading by railway wagons only with full wagon capacity usage provides payback period of 3.6 years.
 
If change ferryboats loading level (by railway wagons) from 100% to 60%, then positive financial result is kept; payback period is increased up to 8.2 years.
 
If use combined loading by railway wagons (50%) and trailers (50%) then payback period is 11.4 years. But at timetable operation this variant provides constant full loading of vessel and significant eliminating of idle time when cargo waits for vessel in the port.
 
In the whole one may conclude that there is sufficient economic feasibility for building CNF19 ferryboat and her operation at Baltic Sea Lines.
 
But hardiness of ecologic requirements due to prevention of air pollution from ships and forced usage of MGO standard diesel oil may cause into significant decreasing of transportation profitability and corresponding increasing of payback period. For such case LNG variant of CNF19 vessel with sufficient payback period is prepared (e.g. 3.2 years while 100% wagon capacity usage; this is even better than for initial HFO model).
 
As a result, due to RosMorRechflot order, Marine Engineering Bureau worked out up-to-date CNF19 project of railway ferryboat for transportation of railway wagons and Ro-Ro cargoes, with ice class "Arc 4". CNF19 ferryboat has maximal available dimensions; she is intended for the whole-year cargo transportation (including dangerous ones) at the line Ust-Luga - Baltiysk - Sassnitz (Mukran).
 
RosMorRechflot working group on coordination, scientific, technical and organizational support of work on the implementation of the federal target program "Development of civil marine engineering for 2009-2016" accepted introduced CNF19 project of railway ferryboat for transportation of railway wagons and Ro-Ro cargoes, with ice class "Arc 4" for the Baltic Sea.