NIBULON shipbuilding and repair yard announced launching its first 140-m vessel, a unique NIBULON MAX vessel.
This is the first vessel with such sizes, which is being built at NIBULON shipbuilding and repair yard, and the longest crane vessel of “river-sea” class over the last 25 years of independence. The vessel is constructed with the financial support of the International Finance Corporation and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, as well as the European Investment Bank, thanks to cooperation with which the conditions for launching this vessel were created, namely the large-scale reconstruction of the company’s shipyard was performed.
“On December 5, 2013, at the beginning of the Revolution of Dignity, we keel-laid the first vessel at our shipbuilding and repair yard in Mykolaiv. And today, in the first days of work of the new President, we have launched the longest crane vessel of “river-sea” class over the last 25 years of independence. This is not only the longest vessel, but also a complex engineering object. The 75th vessel of NIBULON’s fleet has been launched. What are you thinking about and what do you feel on such days, moments… You get pleasure from the fact that there is such a high result that you have achieved. You think of the fact that there are goals that you attain and they prompt you to set yourself new goals that seem inaccessible. But you reach them and set yourself a higher goal. It is also important that the realization of our plans can always be seen. For example, this is the most modern fleet in Ukraine”, commented on this extraordinary event NIBULON’s General Director Oleksiy Vadaturskyy.
The prerequisites for the construction of such a high-capacity vessel for the company’s fleet have been for a long period of time. According to Oleksandr Taranovskyi, deputy director of NIBULON’s shipping company for economy, the intensive expansion of NIBULON’s network of river transshipment terminals from year to year provides for an increase in the company’s cargo transported by river; this also increases the needs for loading and unloading operations in the outer and inner roads of Mykolaiv Sea Port.
"Our company has long had a need for its own crane fleet. In the outer roads of Mykolaiv Sea Port there were three floating vessels of the company, namely St. Mykolai, Nibulonivets and Nibulonivets-2. But the new high-capacity NIBULON MAX will allow us, by increasing the volume of transshipment at sea, not only to fully cover our needs and to avoid the involvement of third-party floating cranes, but also enable additional revenues from providing services to other companies. Thus, this vessel will increase the annual volumes of cargo handling by the fleet by 2-3 million tons per year and increase volumes of cargo handling directly by the company’s fleet to 4-5 million tons per year. This vessel will also make it possible to flexibly use the river cargo fleet, being a storage vessel during the absence of foreign-going vessels”, he explained.
To accomplish these difficult tasks, NIBULON MAX is equipped with two cranes with a productivity of 18,000 tons per day and two cargo holds with a capacity of 10,000 tons. Cargo holds, equipped with hatch covers, are intended for transporting bulk and general cargoes. The presence of own holds on the vessel provides continuous operation of cranes during mooring operations with non-self-propelled vessels, which shortens the load time of vessels. For maintenance of cargo holds, as well as carrying out loading and unloading operations, in the conditions of the port and in the open roads in the sea, two cranes with a slewing range of 360° shifted by 3,600 mm to the left from central line are installed on the vessel. This will enable the company to perform loading and unloading of Panamax vessels.
“NIBULON MAX, including mechanisms and equipment, is designed and built according to the current rules and under the supervision of the Shipping Register of Ukraine for the “bulk carrier-unloader” class”, said Oleksii Lalin, director of NIBULON’s shipping company. “The vessel’s endurance for the supply of fuel and fresh water is about 90 days. The volume of automation allows you to control a mechanical installation without the constant presence of the staff in the engine room and in the central control post. We have envisaged the convenient conditions of the European class for the work and rest of 28 crew members, plus 5 additional seats”.
The construction of a vessel of this class is a completely new higher level of NIBULON’s shipbuilding capacities. For this purpose, the building berth and launching and lifting gear have been modernized, which led to an increase in the number of ways. The company has carried out the large-scale reconstruction of the shipbuilding yard, after which it should become the most modern plant in Ukraine and, without a doubt, one of the best plants in Europe.
“For the construction of NIBULON MAX, we have used about 5,000 tons of metal and 150 km of cable products”, said Dmytro Horbenko, director of NIBULON shipbuilding and repair yard. “In order to protect the vessel’s hull from the corrosion, we need about 70.5 thousand l of modern paints and varnishes; and the total weight of materials for the insulating the hull is 64 tons”.
On May 8, Palmerton, a unique 133-m cargo vessel, which is equipped with two cranes with a total lifting capacity of 900 tons, unloaded equipment for NIBULON MAX at the new berth of NIBULON’s transshipment terminal which was reconstructed and put into operation last year. It delivered two four-rope grab cranes CBG 360 from Liebherr-MCCTEC Rostock GmbH (Germany) with a lifting capacity of 45 tons and boom reach of 36 m. That is the first time when equipment for the company’s new shipbuilding orders was delivered to Mykolaiv facility by water transport instead of transporting it by road transport.
“I am proud to say that we are constructing a unique 140 m long self-propelled crane vessel of “river-sea” class over the last 25 years of independence, which will become a victory in the process of the revival of river transportation in Ukraine. I believe that on September 20 we will show this and other modern NIBULON’s vessels to the Ukrainians and the world. And this achievement will not only be the victory of our company, but also a reason for the pride in Ukraine.
The modern vessel requires modern and high-capacity equipment, and in or case – its delivery by a modern vessel… Traders, beware of us, Panamax "eaters")!”, said Oleksiy Vadaturskyy.
The revival of navigation is a vital and very important impetus for the development of Ukraine’s economy. Our company has managed to prove by its own example that the development of river navigation is of great potential and it gives impetus to the development of shipbuilding, logistics, metallurgy, construction industry and the country’s economy. In this sector you can find extraordinary things among ordinary ones – heroic feats and achievements of workmen: shipbuilders, builders, metallurgists and many others who are building our country.