OREANDA-NEWS. July 27, 2007. Sovcomflot, the largest Russian shipping company, expanded its fleet by accepting the delivery of mv “Alksey Kosygin”, a Baltimax-type tanker. The naming and delivery ceremony took place at the Daewoo Shipyard (Republic of Korea).

The event was attended by Victor Khristenko, the Minister of Industry and Energy of the Russian Federation; Aleksandr Timonin, Russia’s charge d'affaires in the Republic of Korea; Aleksey Gvishiani, the Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Aleksey Kosygin’s grandson) and the senior management of the Sovcomflot Group.
      
Tanker “Aleksey Kosygin” of 163,500 DWT is one of the biggest ships in the history of Soviet / Russian merchant fleet. Her LOA is 280.5 metres, moulded breadth is 50.0 and the maximum draught amounts to 16.5 metres. There are no yard capacities at present to construct vessels of such size at the shipyards of Russia.

The tanker has a very high ice class (1A in accordance with international classification) and meets all the requirements of international conventions in the sphere of safety of navigation. It is designed to carry crude oil from the Northern regions of the Baltic Sea year-round.

The Baltimax-type tanker was specially designed for seaborne transportation of oil from the Russian Port of Primorsk. The tanker “Vladimir Tikhonov” of the same Baltimax series was delivered in June 2006. This ship was nominated as a finalist in the Lloyd’s List’s prestigious “Best Ship of the Year 2006” award.

The tanker is double-hulled and is equipped with a bow thruster to improve the vessel’s maneuverability and with four blades controllable pitch propeller (CPP). The direction and speed can be changed by the adjustment of the propeller’s blades which diminishes the risk of damaging the propulsion system when operating in ice conditions.

The tanker is also equipped with electronically controlled type main engine of 29.5 ths. hp with electronic fuel supply which contributes to optimum performance and to the reduction of emission in exhaust gases, and provides for minimum fuel consumption. 

The vessel’s wheelhouse is of totally enclosed winds type to make the work of the seamen more comfortable in conditions when outdoor temperature is about - 30° C.

Mv “Aleksey Kosygin” is the tanker of optimum capacity for operation in the Baltic Sea. The design draught allows the tanker to take 1m barrels of oil on board, which is by 1.5 times more than other tankers operating in this region can carry. This allows to reduce the intensity of maritime traffic in the area and to strengthen safety of navigation.

The tanker was named after Aleksey Nikolayevich Kosygin, a prominent statesman who was in charge of the USSR Council of Ministers for more than 15 years. Aleksey Kosygin was directly involved in the establishment of Sovcomflot by authorising the setting up of the first national shipping company, operating in conformity with international standards and practice.