ODESA, DECEMBER 15th, 2010, CONTEXT-PRICHERNOMORIE — 14 December a solemn keel-laying ceremony of the first in the series of self-propelled dry-cargo vessel under project RSD49, Yard No. 401, took place at Nevsky Shipyard LLC, Context-Prichernomorie correspondent reports.

The agency has been informed about it today, 15 December, at the press service of Marine Engineering Bureau.

According to their information, in accordance with the contract, Nevsky Shipyard LLC is to construct a series of 10 river-sea dry-cargo vessels of approximately 7,000 dwt for North-Western Fleet JSC.

The Project is developed by Marine Engineering Bureau, Odesa, in close co-operation with the specialists of the Customer and Shipyard.

The vessel is being constructed in accordance with the Rules of and under supervision of Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (RMRS). Self-propelled dry-cargo vessel of project RSD49 is intended for carrying general and bulk cargoes including steel, grain, coal, timber, coil, large-dimension and heavy-weight cargoes and hazardous cargoes of classes 1, 1.4S, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 of IMDG Code and the Appendix B of the BC Code in the Caspian Sea as well as in the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea, Baltic Sea, North Sea including routes around Europe and on the Irish Sea in winter.

Cargo holds are designed of the box shape, smooth-wall, providing self-shifting of cargo. There are three cargo holds, in particular one of them has a 50 m long cutout which makes it possible to transport, among other things, “design” oversize and heavy-lift cargoes to offshore projects in the Caspian Sea. The vessels of project RSD49 with their displacement will be the largest dry-cargo vessels to meet the requirements for dimensions of Volga-Don Ship Canal.

Movement and controllability of the vessel are provided by two fixed pitch propellers with 2600 mm diameter, two suspended balanced rudders and 200 kW bow thruster.

The vessel will have the following principal dimensions and features: length overall 139.95 m, breadth overall 16.7 m, draft in river 3.6 m, cargo holds, length 25 m + 50 m + 25 m, Deadweight in river (draft 3.6 m) about 4525 tons, deadweight at sea (draft 4.7 m) about 7000 tons, capacity of cargo holds about 10900 cubic metres.

INFORMATION: OJSC Marine Engineering Bureau was registered on March, 23rd, 1995 in Odesa, Ukraine. It was founded by a group of scientists of the Shipbuilding Department, Odesa National Maritime University. OJSC Marine Engineering Bureau works out pre-contract classification projects, projects of “conversion”, upgrade and renewal of sea vessels for internal and mixed journeys. They also prepare projects for increasing carrying and container capacities of ships and other related work.