Russian Navy accepts delivery of two 23040-series boats from ZNT Yard
Bor, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast based JSC Nizhny Novgorod Motor Vessel Yard (ZNT Yard) and the Russian Ministry of Defense on July 27, 2017, signed two delivery / acceptance certificates for two offshore SAR / Diving Support Vessels of Project 23040. The boats were named RVK-1229 and RVK-1230 (Hull No 1117 and 1118), the shipbuilding company said in a press release.
On May 22 the vessels left the shipyard to their homeport of Severomorsk, Murmansk region, where the boats will enter service with the Northern Fleet diving support vessels.
The RVK-1229 and the RVK-1230 are the 17th and 18th in a series of 16 DSV/SAR boats initially ordered for Russian Navy. Later the Navy exercised an option for six more ships, to 22 vessels. At the moment 20 vessels of the Project 23040 have been completed. On June 8, the shipyard launched the 19th and 20th boats (the RVK-1239 and RVK-1261). The vessels will soon be undergoing sea trials and handed over to the Ministry of Defense. This duo will also enter service with the Pacific Fleet.
The 23040-series salvage / diving support vessels have proved their capabilities as part of the Northern, Pacific, Baltic fleets and the Caspian Flotilla. At the International Maritime Defense Show in St. Petersburg in late June, the Ministry of Defense introduced among other best ships the SAR/DSV RVK-1064 (Project 23040, YB – 2015, homeport – Lomonosov, Leningrad Region). Captain Andrey Katin said the boat features excellent accommodation conditions and outstanding seaworthiness of the RVK-1064.
Sergey Konovalov, MD of ZNT Yard told that the Project 23040 series was preceded by ten similar A-160-design boats, so the shipbuilding firm has built so far a total of 30 diving support vessels. "This is a huge series, by today's standards, in the post-Soviet period is a unique achievement," he added.
Sergey Grechishnikov, ZNT Yard's Operations Director said the DSV 23040 series boats are equipped with a decompression system for divers. The boat enable divers to work at a depth of 60 meters. The vessels are also equipped with a ROV and a side-scan sonar. The 23040-series boats have FF class.
The DSVs feature single-deck steel ice-class hull boat, an aluminum superstructure (wheelhouse) and two-shaft diesel propulsion system with FPPs and bow thruster.
The Project 23040 boat was designed for diving support of underwater works at depths of up to 60 m at sea state No 3 of BS (gentle breeze); to perform diving operations by two divers simultaneously with air consumption of up to 120 l/min at a depth of 60 m on the seabed for 60 minutes; availability of decompression. The vessel can assist in emergency rescue operations, in hydraulic and salvage operations; inspection of harbor seabed, inspection of ship wrecks and other structures.
Besides, the boat has fire fighting capabilities for fighting fires on vessels, floating and coastal facilities of total height of up to 30 m, for pumping water from stricken ships; for underwater search and inspection using unmannded ROV; for search of wrecks at depths up to 150 m, using a towed sonar; for man overboard search / rescue using thermal night vision systems; for the supply of power to stricken vessels.
Vessel general characteristics:
LOA – 28.09 m, breadth overall – 5.56 m, depth – 3.4 m, mean draft – 1.5 m, full displacement – about 118 tonnes, propulsion system: main 2x441kW engine and 2x80 diesel generator and an emergency 20kW DG, operational speed – about 13.7±0.3 knots, complement – 3 crew members and 5 divers.
JSC Nizhny Novgorod Motor Vessel Yard (ZNT Yard), based in Russia's Nizhny Novgorod region, was founded in 1911. Today, the shipbuilding firm with its in-house design bureau specializes in the construction of supply and auxiliary fleet, harbor equipment and marine engines and provides a broad range of services.
