Rescue ferries for Sakhalin

Sakhalin is the largest island in Russia comparable in area to a small European country. It is home to about half a million people, whose well-being directly depends on regular communication with the mainland

Irina GEORGIEVSKAYA
Nevskiy Shipyard, Shlisselburg

Ensuring an uninterrupted crossing in this logistically difficult region has been a particularly pressing issue for the government of the Sakhalin Oblast for many years. It was required to significantly increase passenger traffic, but the single ferry Igor Farkhutdinov built in the 1990s, which had been operating on the line, clearly could not cope with this task. In 2018, under the Program for Social and Economic Development of the LKuril Islands for 2016–2025, Sakhalin Leasing Flot JSC signed a contract with the Nevsky Shipyard for the construction of two cargo-passenger vessels for the Sakhalin-Kuril line. The lead ship Admiral Nevelskoy was laid down in March 2019 and the Pavel Leonov one month later. The shipyard workers paid special attention to the construction of ferries, as they understood that people were looking forward for their ships.

IN STEP WITH THE TIMES

The new Project PV22 cargo-passenger ferries are ultra-modern vessels offering high maneuverability. They feature improved icebreaking capability, as they are based on the Project MPSV07 Arctic rescuer. The volume of the hold has increased to 895 cubic meters against 208-215 cubic meters on previous ships. Redundancy of propulsion is provided by a twin-shaft twin-engine powerplant. The vessel’ speed is 14 knots.

The vessel has received improved maneuverability compared to existing vessels through the installation of a thruster and two propellers. The propellers are driven by two 1800 kW motors through reduction gears.

“The working design documentation for Project PV22 was fully prepared by our engineering bureau,” comments Evgeny Kuznetsov, General Director of the Nevsky Shipyard. “The main dimensions of the ferries were designed taking into account the conditions of entry to ports of the Kuril Islands. The vessel will carry out both passenger and cargo transportation. Cargo operations can be carried out even on an unequipped shore. In addition, the vessels can carry 24 containers at once, as well as eight refrigerated and six passenger cars on the deck.»

The vessel is 75 meter long and 16 meter wide and can carry up to 146 passengers. For them, 38 cabins are equipped on board, each of which is equipped with a bathroom with toilet and shower. Thirty standard cabins allow both two- and four-berth accommodation. There are also four-berth cabins, a single-berth luxury cabin, a mother-and-child cabin, and a cabin for people with disabilities. The vessel has a 74-seat restaurant, so meals are served in two shifts. On board the Pavel Leonov, passengers can use a gym, a sauna and a swimming pool. The Project PV22 vessel is provided with special equipment for embarkation/disembarkation and comfortable transportation of people with limited mobility.

The ferry is equipped with an electro-hydraulic crane with a lifting capacity of up to 35 tons with a telescopic boom outreach of 12 to 18 m (with the outreach of 18 m, the lifting capacity is 4 tons).

PATH TO CUSTOMER

On April 26, 2021, the Project PV22 lead cargo-passenger vessel Admiral Nevelskoy (hull number 221) arrived at the Port of Korsakov after a two-month voyage from St. Petersburg. The ferry sailed more than 10,000 nautical miles, crossed six seas, the Indian Ocean and the La Perouse Strait in 59 days. “We passed through a number of piracy-prone areas,” recalls Vladimir Marchuk, captain of the Admiral Nevelskoy on the route to Sakhalin. “In terms of seaworthiness, the vessel may not be excellent, but definitely deserves B+. I have sailed around the world many times, once or twice a year. This time the weather was very good during the passage – we got a little shake just a couple of times. I think the point is in the icon of Saint Nicholas, which is kept on our bridge. And since it all started like this, it means that the weather will continue to favor the vessel”. On June 2, 2021, the Admiral Nevelskoy started operating on the route and has already received high marks from passengers.

The second vessel, the Pavel Leonov, is to arrive at the site of operation along the Northern Sea Route. “The crew of 17 people is preparing for the passage: we are receiving supplies, preparing documentation. The passage along the Northern Sea Route will halve the transit time. Unlike the Admiral Nevelskoy, our ship will spend about 30 days on the way to Sakhalin,” explains the Pavel Leonov’s captain Roman Kovlyakov.

The entry of the Admiral Nevelskoy and Pavel Leonov to the Kuril transit service area will increase transport accessibility and create new opportunities for tourism industry development. According to the regional government, with the arrival of the two new vessels, passenger and cargo traffic will triple and, most importantly, will become much more reliable. After all, these ships are built to cope with any difficulties.