United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) cut steel for the first vessel based on its unified vessel platform, Platform No. 1, at Krasnoye Sormovo in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, on September 28.
USC chief executive Andrey Puchkov told Interfax that construction of the lead ship should be completed in 2027. He said USC has a firm order for 10 vessels based on the platform and an option for another 75.
USC designed the platform for a series of river-sea cargo vessels, including dry cargo ships and tankers. Container carriers are also planned.
Krasnoye Sormovo general director Sergey Lyashenko estimated the price of the ship at RUB1.4 billion ($16.6 million).
He said the yard would fit Russian-made azimuth thrusters once units meeting register requirements had been certified and manufactured in Russia.
Platform No. 1 is designed for inland waterways and sea passages. It measures 141 metres in length and 16.9 metres in beam, with draughts of 3.6 metres on rivers and 4.6 metres at sea.