Chernomorsky Shipbuilding Yard (Smart Maritime Group, ChSY, Nikolaev) has floated out a specialized vessel RION that underwent deep modernization at the shipyard’s facilities under a contract with Delta-Pilot, a subsidiary of Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority (public enterprise, Nikolaev).

RION technical fleet vessel is intended for dredging and mining of non-metallic building materials. The final UAH 30 million contract for the modernization was signed in November 2014. The same month, ChSY started the implementation of the project.

The scope of the repair included restoration of dredging equipment (bucket and dredging implement), vessel’s hull, special systems (piping, dredger suction pipe and so on), as well as renovation of working and living spaces. The uniqueness of the contract was the fact that these kinds of repair work are not the company’s primary specialization and actually were performed in the absence of the original technical documentation. Nevertheless, professionals of ChSY involving contractors successfully coped with the task performing the work under the contract strictly according to the schedule.

After the floating out, the ship will undergo the necessary mooring and sea trials. RION’s delivery to the customer is planned on the 28th of April of the current year.

Director General of Smart Maritime Group Vasiliy Fedin said: ‘About 200 shipbuilders were involved in the implementation of this contract at ChSY, who are currently employed by one company of Smart Maritime Group. In summer 2014, we had to carry out reorganisation of the Group’s shipyards. This was due to a significant deterioration in economic conditions for the shipbuilding industry against the background of the armed conflict in the east of the country. In the course of the reorganisation, the headcount of the enterprises was optimized and employees of primary crafts were transferred to one company, Smart Maritime Group LLC. This enabled us to eliminate duplication of some functions and ensure regular and timely payment of wages.’

Reference

Specifications of RION vessel

Length: 66.7 m

Width: 12.80 m

Hull height: 5.20 m

Draft: 3.85 m

Gross tonnage: 1,496 t

Deadweight: 621 t

Displacement: 2,491 t

ChSY (Public Joint-Stock Company) is a shipyard with the highest technical potential in Ukraine. The plant has two inclined staples (‘0’ and ‘1’) for construction of ships and vessels with displacement of up to 105,000 tonnes. Flow-line and positional production system is designed for a serial production of vessels with deadweight of up to 9,000 tonnes. Vessel production sites and construction flow lines are located in one covered building about 400 metres long. ChSY is a part of Smart Maritime Group shipbuilding holding company (Ukraine).