Overall, the fleet of Volga Shipping Company Board will be expanded with with 20 new dry-cargo ships of RSD71 project.
“At this phase, we are planning to build four dry cargo vessels of the new RSD71 project: the first two vessels delivery is scheduled for 2022, followed by two more units in 2023. Further, we plan to build two to four units every year, gradually renewing our fleet, replacing the aging in 5-8 years dry cargo ships of the Omsk and Sormovsky class,” said Yuri Gilts, General Director, Volga Shipping Company.
The new RSD71 dry cargo vessel project will be multipurpose, outperforming the Volgo-Don Max class capabilities.
The main significant advantage of the RSD71 project vessel over other dry cargo ships of modern designs is the length. The RSD71 ship length overall is 120 meters. At the same time, the vessel DWT at sea is 7,170 tonnes, and in the river - 4,380 tonnes. The main particulars of the ship will allow the new vessel to carry all the cargo transported by Volga Shipping Company, including those cargo with restrictions on the size of ships. The mixed sea-river class dry cargo ship of RSD71 project is optimized for operation with limited draft on the river and has an enhanced seaworthiness class, which will expand the area of operation of the company's fleet.
The new sea-going dry cargo vessels will feature the highest possible automation class and meet modern energy efficiency and environmental compliance rules.
The ships will be built at Nizhny Novgorod region based Shipyard OKA (Okskaya Sudoverf) owned by Volga Shipping Company. The project is being developed by the Volga Shipping Company in cooperation with Marine Engineering Bureau.
Established in 1843, Volga Shipping Company is one of Russia’s largest shipping enterprises. The fleet under operational management of the company numbers about 250 units with a total deadweight exceeding 1.4 million tonnes. Every year, the company transports over 14 million tonnes of cargo. The range of services offered by Volga Shipping Company includes: transportation of dry bulk, general, liquid bulk and project cargo along inland water ways of Russia by river-sea and international routes.