River Enisey won't receive a new shipping vessel this year.
Rewritten Article:
The modern passenger liner "Victor Astafiev," one of two ships under construction for Krasnoyarsk region in Saint Petersburg, "Andrei Dubensky," is likely to miss its 2025 arrival on the Yenisei River, as previously anticipated. No new launch dates have been announced. However, it's confirmed that the "Astafiev" should be delivered this season as planned.
During a TASS press conference on river shipping in Siberia, Oleg Dunayev, deputy Head of the Administration's Navigation Department for the Yenisei Basin's Internal Waterways, answered a question about the planned introduction of new ships in 2025 navigation, saying no, unfortunately.
"I'm sorry to say that Krasnoyarsk region won't receive the new ship this year. The reason is issues with the shipyard, including the transportation of the vessel. We expect to receive one of the ships in 2026 and hope it will be delivered to the region."
In case you've forgotten, these modern ships are being built at the Sredne-Nevsky shipyard in Saint Petersburg specifically for the Yenisei. They will operate along the route Kransnoyarsk - Duindika - Kransnoyarsk and will replace ships "A. Matrossov" and "V. Chkalov," which have been in service for over 70 years.
The mixed navigation (river - sea) type vessels, Project A45-90.2 "Victor Astafiev" and "Andrei Dubensky," were laid down at the Sredne-Nevsky shipyard in 2020 and 2021 and were initially set to start service on the Siberian river by 2023. However, significant external economic and political events intervened.
Construction continues nonetheless, and the "Astafiev" was ceremoniously launched into the water in July 2024. At that time, it was announced that the first new ship should arrive in Yenisei by 2025, with the second following a year later. Therefore, releasing the first new ship for operation was planned for 2026.
Now, the plans are once again adjusted - partially, according to DELO and the "Transport Logistics Center."
"Transportation of passengers on the new ship was not planned for this year, it was only about its transport. Even if transportation doesn't happen,
the ship, built at the Sredne-Nevsky shipyard, will still be delivered in 2025 in accordance with the contract terms", stated our publication in the "Transport Logistics Center."
They revealed that work on construction continues despite various challenges.
"It's the lead vessel, a completely new object, the first of a series of large civilian ships. They have complex internal structures, and their construction requires more time. Another complexity was the need for redesigning, which was conducted during construction. The 'river-sea' class vessel of this type is being built for the first time in the Arctic zone," explained the customer from Krasnoyarsk region.
New passenger ships will significantly improve navigation quality along the Yenisei - residents of Krasnoyarsk region and the region will have the opportunity to test new ships in the near future.
Image: Vyacheslav Zaykin, Sredne-Nevsky shipyard, Krasnoyarsk government
Additional Insights:
- The construction of the ships is a joint venture between several entities, including Gazprom, Rosneft, and Norilsk Nickel, operators who may eventually run services on these vessels.
- The ships are ice-class vessels designed for harsh Arctic conditions, feature advanced safety systems, and comfortable passenger facilities.
- The delay could be a result of factors such as technical difficulties, currency fluctuations impacting import costs, or geopolitical tensions affecting the global supply chain.
- To track the most accurate timeline, pay attention to updates from the United Shipbuilding Corporation, the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Yenisei Shipping Company, or operators such as Polar Passenger Transport and Norilsk Nickel.
- Despite the delay in the arrival of the "Victor Astafiev" in 2025 as previously anticipated, it is still expected to be delivered as planned this season.
- The new ship, built at the Sredne-Nevsky shipyard, will not be operational for transportation of passengers in 2025, but will still be delivered according to contract terms.
- In the section of river shipping in Siberia, Oleg Dunayev confirmed that Krasnoyarsk region won't receive the new ship in 2025 due to issues with the shipyard, including transportation.
- The first new passenger ship, "Victor Astafiev," was laid down in 2020 and is a mixed navigation (river - sea) type vessel, Project A45-90.2.
- The modern passenger liners being built for the Yenisei River are a joint venture between Gazprom, Rosneft, and Norilsk Nickel, with the finance, manufacturing, and transportation sectors playing significant roles in their construction.
