At least 2-3 vessels to be launched annually after 2026
By the end of November 2023, Saint-Petersburg based Krylov State Research Center will design large-tonnage grain carriers of 40,000 dwt and 60,000 dwt under the contract with Rosaagroleasing, Ministry of Agriculture wrote in its Telegram. The Ministry initiates the development of design documentation for construction of the ships in the end of 2022.
On June 16, Minister of Agriculture Sergey Patrushev visited Krylov State Research Center which develops designs of large bulkers for transportation of agricultural products for a large distance. The design foresees only domestic components. “Their construction will let remove the dependence on foreign ship owners and facilitate the development of food exports,” reads the statement.
The first bulker will be built and leased out to the customer in late 2025 — early 2026. After 2026, at least 2-3 vessels of these types will be launched annually. Minimum 60 bulkers are needed to cover the domestic demand.
According to earlier reports of IAA PortNews, the Ministry of Agriculture of Russia estimated the need of Russian exporters at 61 grain carriers, including 27 vessels of 40,000 dwt and 34 vessels of 60,000 dwt. According to Zakhary Djioyev, head of the Federal Marine and River Transport Agency (Rosmorrechflot), Panamax grain carriers (50,000-60,000 dwt) should be built first of all.
When speaking at SPIEF-2023, USC General Director Aleksey Rakhmanov said that construction of Panamax grain carriers would be performed under distributed shipyard principle. According to him, USC is completing the first design; the designing initiated by the Ministry of Agriculture is being conducted parallel to that being performed by USC.