North-Western Shipping Company OJSC has commenced operation of M/V Neva-Leader 5. On September 18, the vessel set off on her maiden voyage from the berth of Nevsky Shipyard in Shliesselburg to the ports of Northern Europe to be loaded with 2,600 t of cargo including three unique 18х5х5 m structures. According to the press center of North-Western Shipping Company, the equipment is intended for oil and gas production facilities in the Caspian Sea.
The multipurpose dry cargo vessels of project RSD 49 with deadweight exceeding 7,000 tonnes are one of the largest river-sea going vessels in Russia. They are designed for transportation of general and bulk cargoes, including steel, grain, timber, coal, oversized and heavy-lift cargoes in the Caspian Sea and the Mediterranean, Black Sea, Baltic, White and North seas, including sailings around Europe and in the Irish Sea during winter season.
All in all, Nevsky Shipyard is to build 10 vessels of this project for North-Western Shipping Company under the programme on large-scale renovation of VBTH fleet.
From November 2012 till August 2013, first four vessels of the series (Neva-Leader 1, Neva-Leader 2, Neva-Leader 3 and Neva-Leader 4) transported over 200,000 tonnes of cargo.
North-Western Shipping Company is the largest carrier in Russia’s water transport system, specializing in shipping import / export general cargo, bulk and loose dry cargo, tugging of oversized cargo and vessels. The company’s fleet comprises about 101 cargo ships of total DWT 350,000 tonnes, including 85 mixed-sailing "river-sea” vessels, 6 barges, 7 tugs and 3 auxiliary ships. The NWS Company transports 6 million tonnes of different cargo a year.
The Company is a member of VBTH, a shipping division of UCL Holding (majority owner of VBTH), consolidating also a number of Russian rail, stevedoring and logistics assets. The division also includes Volga and Western Company, several cruise and shipbuilding companies.