A ‘floating laboratory’ onboard icebreaking platform supply vessel ‘Gennadiy Nevelskoy’ is to research electric propulsion and equipment performance in ice conditions, under plans drawn up by Sovcomflot (SCF) and the Admiral Nevelskoy Maritime State University of Vladivostok.

Sergey Ogai (left), rector of MSUN, and Konstantin Dudarev, deputy managing director and OSV fleet team manager, Sakhalin branch, Unicom Management Services

Sergey Ogai (left), rector of MSUN, and Konstantin Dudarev, deputy managing director and OSV fleet team manager, Sakhalin branch, Unicom Management Services

The project aims to develop innovative solutions for the effective and safe vessel operation in the seas of the Russian Far East and the Arctic. The vessel will also host practical training for MSUN cadets, internships for faculty members, and research and educational programmes for postgraduate students and young scientists.

The organisations noted that the project will in no way hinder the vessel’s ability to serve its principal purpose supporting the Sakhalin-2 project. Gennadiy Nevelskoy was commissioned by SCF Group to serve the three offshore platforms of Sakhalin Energy located in the Sea of Okhotsk on the Russian Far East. The vessel was delivered in March 2017, registered under Russian flag and is operated by the all-Russian crew. She is equipped with an Azipod propulsion system with a power rating of 13MW and has been assigned an ice class of Icebreaker ICE-15 by the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping.

The vessel, named after a Russian admiral who played a crucial role in exploring Sakhalin island and the Russian Far East, is the lead ship in the series of four vessels commissioned by SCF Group to serve the Sakhalin-2 project. All the other vessels in the series are scheduled for delivery in 2017 and will be also named after Russian naval commanders.

Evgeniy Ambrosov, senior executive vice president and COO, SCF Group, said: “Many top managers and captains of SCF have received a top-class education at this university and are proud to be its graduates. For SCF Group, people are our most important asset, and we attach prime importance to supporting the professional training system for future merchant fleet officers, many of whom will soon join our crews.”

Book your place at the forthcoming Propulsion & Emissions Conference to find out more about the latest in propulsion technology

View the full programme here.

The annual Motorship Propulsion & Emissions Conference is recognised as the most technically informative as well as the longest established conference for the global shipping industry. For further information contact the Events team on +44 1329 825335 or email conferences@propulsionconference.com.

Follow the event on Twitter: @PropulsionConf