Russia and India to cooperate on development of high-speed maritime transport based on Russian designs (photo)

M.O.H. Group (India), RDC Aqualines Company (Russia), Indo-Russian Chamber of Commerce & Industries and Russia’s National Technological Initiative have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to jointly develop the production and operation of new high-speed maritime crafts. The document has been signed today, September 20^th, at the MariNet booth of the NEVA 2017, IAA PortNews correspondent reports from the exhibition.

The MoU was signed by M.O.H. Iqubal (M.O.H. Group), A.Sivathanu Pillai and P.Thangappan (IRCCI), Pavel Tsarapkin (RDC Aqualines Company) and Aleksandr Pinsky (NTI).

In particular, the parties are set to build the ekranoplans of Project EP-15 and hydrofoils of Project А-902 for passenger transportation.

The project is supported by the Marinet, the National Technological Initiative (NTI)’s working group.

“India is implementing a state programme on development of inland and coastwise transport ways. The Indian party has come to the NEVA 2017 exhibition for negotiations with RDC Aqualines on a possibility to lunch a joint project for implementation of this programme in India. Ekranoplans and hydrofoils have been selected as a sector of practical cooperation”, explained Pavel Tsarapkin, Director General of RDC Aqualines Company.

The National Technological Initiative (NTI), unveiled by the President of the Russian Federation on December 4, 2014 in an Address to the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, is a long-term public-private partnership program. It is aimed at forming new prospective markets based on high-technology solutions that will determine the development of the world economy over the next 15-20 years.

The MariNet roadmap of the National Technology Initiative (NTI) aimed at support and promotion of solutions and companies focused on ocean development technologies, digital navigation and innovative shipbuilding to the global market, was approved by the at the presidium of the RF President’s Council for Economic Modernization and Innovative Development of the Russian Federation on 16 October 2015. The MariNet Working Group numbers over 200 experts representing more than 60 companies, scientific centers and high education institutions from 15 regions of Russia as well as heads of ad hoc ministries and agencies.