VESSEL REVIEW | Vadim Viktorovsky – New series of shallow-draught survey boats for Russian inland waterway authority

Russian shipyard Nefteflot has delivered four new shallow-draught survey boats in a series to local operator Rechvodput.

Sister vessels Gals, Vadim Viktorovsky, Vasily Arshinov, and Rel’yef were built in fulfillment of an order by the Russian Ministry of Transport. All four belong to the eight-strong Project RDB 66.62 series of vessels designed for performing surveys of both inland and port waters.

Each boat has a length of 24.31 metres, a beam of 5.76 metres, a draught of only 0.93 metres, a depth of 2.2 metres, space for a small tender, and accommodations for seven personnel including crew and survey technicians. The survey equipment on each boat is fully automated and includes a Kongsberg Maritime EM2040 multi-beam echosounder and Qinsy hydrographic data processing software. The equipment can generate a 3D map of the seabed and even recommend the volume of sediment to be extracted during future dredging works.

A 295kW main engine propels each boats to a maximum speed of 9.7 knots. At more economical cruising speeds, the vessels can operate for up to four days before returning to port. Two 50kW diesel generators and a 15kW bow thruster are also fitted on each vessel.

Design work on the boats was done by local engineering firm Stapel in compliance to Russian Maritime Register of Shipping and Russian River Register ice 20 rules. The final four vessels in the series are scheduled for delivery before the end of the year.

Some of our readers have expressed disquiet at our publication of reviews and articles describing new vessels from Russia. We at Baird Maritime can understand and sympathise with those views. However, despite the behaviour of the country’s leaders, we believe that the maritime world needs to learn of the latest developments in vessel design and construction there.

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