On 1 August 2019, Amursky shipyard (Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Khabarovsk Territory, a company of USC) launched a ferry built for the Vanino-Kholmsk service. The cargo-and-passenger vessel of ice class (Hull No 300) named Aleksandr Deyev has been transported to the water area of the Amur river. According to the statement of the Sakhalin Region Government, the outfitting will be conducted at a special berth in the Komsomolsk-on-Amur.
“The Sakhalin Region is interested in prompt deployment of ferries at the Vanino-Kholmsk line. It is a new level of comfort and safety for passengers. It is important that new vessels will improve the reliability of transport links between the Sakhalin and the mainland of Russia”, said Eduard Ree, Acting Minister of Transport and Road System of the Region.
A special lifting pontoon had been built to transport the new ferry to the water area of the Amur river. In August 2020, the ship is scheduled to leave for Vladivostok for final works, tests and commissioning.
The first ferry is named after the Aleksandr Deyev, the former director of the shipyard; the second one – after Vasily Oshchepkov, founder of Russian Judo born and brought up on the Sakhalin. The Aleksandr Deyev ferry is to be delivered in 2020, the Vasily Oshchepkov – in 2021.
With the two new vessels, the fleet operating on the Vanino-Kholmsk line will number five ferries including three units of the ‘Sakhalin’ design.
In 2016, Amursky shipyard was awarded with a contract for construction of two Ro-Ro ferries. In December 2019, they are to be delivered to the customer, State Transport Leasing Company (STLC). More than RUB 5.5 billion was allocated for the construction.
The new ships will ensure uninterrupted transport communication with the Sakhalin regardless of weather conditions. Each ferry can accommodate 30 railcars, 48 tractor-trailor units, 28 passenger cars and 150 passengers.
Amursky Shipyard (Komsomolsk-on-Amur) is among the largest shipbuilding companies in the Far East of Russia. The shipyard was founded in 1936. It can build warships and civil vessels with launching weight of up to 10,000 tonnes, length of up to 150 meters and width of up to 20 meters.
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Vanino-Kholmsk ferry service to get two new vessels by 2020 – Sakhalin authorities >>>>