Besiktas Shipyard launches Palmali's tanker "Shovket Alekperova”
A launching ceremony was held at Yalova, Turkey based Besiktas Shipyard for seventh tanker of mixed river-sea class Volga-Don max 7100DWT “Shovket Alekperova” (project RST22M). The RST22M series includes fourteen ships (plus five in option). Marine Engineering Bureau said.
The RST22M design (third modification of "Armada" tankers type) was developed by Odessa-based Marine Engineering Bureau.
The serial tankers Customer is Palmali Group.
This vessel completes a series of seven "New Armada" vessels placed with BESIKTAS GEMI INSAA ANONIM SIRKETI (Besiktas Shipyard). The remaining seven RST22M design ships (plus five optional) are being built at Turkter Shipyard in Tuzla (TURKTER TERSANE VE DENIZCILIK ISLETMELERI AS) and at Izmit based Armada Shipyard.
Today Turkter Shipyard has a backlog of five tankers (Hull numbers 078, 079, 080, 081, 082). Keel-laying of the first two were held on October 2, 2013 and November 18, 2013, respectively. Launching of the first (078) tanker is scheduled for June 2014 and delivery - by the end of this year. The remaining four - in 2015. The Customer may exercise option for five more tankers of the series.
On April 2014 Armada Shipyard, part of Palmali Group, commmenced steel-cutting for the RST22M-series flagship (Hull No 001). The first tanker delivery at the new shipyard is scheduled for May 2015. After fabrication of the two tankers of project RST22M (Hull NoNo 001, 002 ) commences, the shipyard will start building an entirely new series of tankers of Volga-Don max class, project RST12 featuring reinforced capabilities for river navigation, with the preservation of the well-proven solutions of Armada series, including full-revolving rudder propellers.
Thus, the shipbuilding program includes fourteen (plus five in option) Volga-Don max tankers of New Armada generation of project RST22M.
Vessels of this third series is an evolution of 005RST01-series tankers, known as Armada first series, previously designed by the Marine Engineering Bureau for Palmali Group and built between 2002 and 2006 at Tuzla, Turkey based SELAH and ADA yards and a second modification of second series of tankers of project RST22, which were built at Nizhny Novgorod based Krasnoye Sormovo Shipyard in 2008-2009.
Overall, the shipyards have built 10 Armada-series tankers of project 005RST01 and seven New Armada-series tankers of project RST22 (five of them for Palmali Group) .
Twenty-one tankers of the Armada first series and the New Armada second and third series have entered service and are engaged in mixed river-sea transport by Palmali, carrying from Russian river ports heavy fuel oil, diesel fuel and other oil products and vegetable oils, and in maritime transport in the Caspian, Black, Mediterranean, Baltic and North seas, including winter voyages around Europe and in the Irish Sea.
A distinctive feature of RST22M, RST22, 005RST01 and RST12 design tankers is full revolving rudder propellers, increased trunk and submersible cargo pumps. They have no longitudinal bulkhead in CL and no framing in cargo tanks.
The vessels satisfy the Volga-Don Canal and the Volga-Baltic Waterway dimensions.
The new design tankers feature reinforced marine capabilities as compared with the Armada first series, with a deadweight increased by 750 tonnes in sea and increased capacity of cargo tanks while maintaining river capabilities.
The design was tailored to meet the specific requirements of Russian and global oil companies, additional ecological restrictions of the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping «ECO PROJECT» (ECO-S).
Capacity of six cargo tanks and two slop tanks is 8,089 cbm, sea DWT at 4.60-meter draft reaches 7,103 tonnes, river DWT / 3.60-m draft is 4,706 tonnes, operational speed is 10.5 knots.
