OREANDA-NEWS. November 21, 2011. Volga Shipping took delivery of the 5,540DWT Kapitan Yurov, the eighth vessel of a series of 10 Volgamax dry cargo carriers of RSD44 project, the ship designer Marine Engineering Bureau said.

Keel-laying of the bulker was held at Navashino-based Okskaya Shipyard on Dec. 28, 2010, launching and naming ceremony – on Oct.14, 2011. The lead ship Kapitan Ruzmankin was laid on Feb. 24, 2010 and launched on Nov. 23, 2010.

The serial Volgamax dry cargo ships designed by MEB and ordered by Volga Shipping are intended for transportation by Russia’s inland waterways general, bulk, timber cargoes, grain, lumber, potash and fertilizer, sulfur, coal, paper, building materials, steel products, and up to 140 containers.

The RSD44 project ships will gradually replace the previous series of "Volga-Don” ships. The vessels surpass their predecessors, featuring enhanced capacity, environmental friendliness, efficiency and comfort, MEB said.

Ship’s main features: length DWL - 138.9 m, beam - 16,5 m, depth - 5 m, coaming height - 2,2 m, fresh water draft 3,6 m DWT - 5,543 tons, salt water draft 3.53 m DWT - 5,562 tons, cargo hold capacity - 7090 cbm; Russian River Register Class - + O-OL 2,0 (ice 20) A.

The dry cargo ships will be operated on the Volga-Don Shipping Canal (VDSC), Volga-Baltic Canal, in the Azov Sea to the port of Kavkaz and in the Gulf of Finland. The vessels will be able to pass under the Neva bridges near St. Petersburg and under Rostov railway bridge (Rostov-on-Don) without lifting the bridges.

The RSD-44 project is co-financed through the leasing scheme by the state-run United Shipbuilding Corporation (85%) and Volga Shipping (15%) on the terms of state subsidy of refinancing interest rate of Central Bank of Russia.

Oka (Okskaya) Shipyard (Navashino, Nizhny Novgorod region) was founded in 1907. The modern Oka Shipyard JSC was established through privatization of the state enterprise Navashino Shipyard “Oka”. The firm specializes in building multipurpose river and sea-going vessels. In 2004, JSC Okskaya Shipyard became part of VBTH, majority owned by Universal Cargo Logistics Holding.

JSC Volga Shipping Company, founded in 1843, is one of the oldest and largest shipping companies in Russia. VSC specializes in transportation of cargo and passengers on inland waterways of the country. Volga Shipping Company is also part of the Universal Cargo Logistics Holding that consolidates a number of Russian stevedoring, shipping and shipbuilding assets.