On June 18, eighth 7,100-dwt New Armada type tanker of Volgo-Don Max class (project RST22M, hull No 078) built for Palmali Group was launched in Turkey. According to Marine Engineering Bureau, the series projector, the vessel is supposed to be delivered in late 2014.
Twenty-one tankers of the Armada first series and the New Armada second and third series have entered service and are engaged in mixed river-sea transport by Palmali, carrying from Russian river ports heavy fuel oil, diesel fuel and other oil products and vegetable oils, and in maritime transport in the Caspian, Black, Mediterranean, Baltic and North seas, including winter voyages around Europe and in the Irish Sea. Eight more tankers are currently being built by four different shipyards.
Vessels of this third series is an evolution of 005RST01-series tankers, known as Armada first series, previously designed by the Marine Engineering Bureau for Palmali Group and built between 2002 and 2006 at Tuzla, Turkey based SELAH and ADA yards and a second modification of second series of tankers of project RST22, which were built at Nizhny Novgorod based Krasnoye Sormovo Shipyard in 2008-2009.
A distinctive feature of RST22M, RST22, 005RST01 and RST12 design tankers is full revolving rudder propellers, increased trunk and submersible cargo pumps. They have no longitudinal bulkhead in CL and no framing in cargo tanks.
The vessels satisfy the Volga-Don Canal and the Volga-Baltic Waterway dimensions.
The new design tankers feature reinforced marine capabilities as compared with the Armada first series, with a deadweight increased by 750 tonnes in sea and increased capacity of cargo tanks while maintaining river capabilities.
The design was tailored to meet the specific requirements of Russian and global oil companies, additional ecological restrictions of the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping «ECO PROJECT» (ECO-S).
Capacity of six cargo tanks and two slop tanks is 8,089 cbm, sea DWT at 4.60-meter draft reaches 7,103 tonnes, river DWT / 3.60-m draft is 4,706 tonnes, operational speed is 10.5 knots.
The tanker was laid down on October 3, 2013.