A bilge water removal (BWR) boat owned by Russian port operator Rosmorport has completed undergoing a retrofitting process that would enable her to navigate autonomously.
Koporye is one of the first service vessels in Russia to be certified as a maritime autonomous surface ship (MASS) by the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping. The MASS certification was awarded following the recent successful trials of the vessel's autonomous sailing capability in the Gulf of Finland.
The vessel will rejoin the Rosmorport fleet, and autonomous operations are scheduled to begin in December 2025. She will provide BWR services for ships visiting the Port of Ust-Luga.
Koporye was handed over to Rosmorport in 2024 following completion at Okskaya Shipyard. The vessel belongs to the Project RST 38 series of BWR boats designed by Russian naval architecture firm Marine Engineering Bureau.
The Project RST 38 boats are designed to collect oily water from vessels as well as sediment and separate it with further delivery of oil residues ashore to storage ashore or overboard in authorised areas.
The vessels will also collect separated clean water as well as wastewater and refuse for transportation and delivery to onshore treatment facilities.