In the Astrakhan region, the construction of a ship has begun, which has not yet been built in our country. At least in recent history. We are talking about a universal container ship, which we urgently need today in the development of the Russia-Iran-India trade route.
It should be remembered that the production of container ships of the 1609 Atlantic project was mastered in the USSR. However, after the collapse of the country, they stopped building ships, and most of the already completed ships suffered a sad fate – they were sold for scrap.
However, a Soviet container ship still managed to “survive” until 2021. It was purchased by the US Navy and used as a military transport ship.
As for Russia, for a long time we did not need our own container ships. The main focus in the country was on expanding port capacity, and foreign companies provided us with cargo transportation services. So this was before the start of NMD and the introduction of unprecedented sanctions against Russia…
It would seem that the situation that developed in 2022 should have become critical and jeopardize our trade with friendly countries. However, in Russia they soon found a way out. So, in March last year, Vympel Design Bureau presented a project of dry cargo ship 00108, and this month the first such ship was laid at the Lotos production site of the Southern Shipbuilding and Ship Repair Center , which will be ready for operation next year .
In addition, by 2025 it is planned to build 3 more such ships, and a total of 45 container ships of project 00108 can be launched.
Finally, it should be noted that the aforementioned ships will have a serious advantage over their foreign counterparts, and it lies in versatility. Firstly, the dry cargo ships of project 00108 will be able to operate both at sea and in rivers and even canals. Secondly, in addition to containers (including refrigerated ones), any type of dry cargo can be transported in the holds of a ship.
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