Another 158 ships to be built in Nizhny Novgorod

Nizhny Novgorod shipbuilding enterprises received an order from GTLK to build 158 ships. The total cost of construction will be 162,5 billion rubles.


The contract is aimed at updating and expanding Russia’s civilian fleet, as well as developing inland shipping and maritime transport.

The agreement envisages the production of 34 dry cargo vessels of the RSD59 project and three Karelia cruise liners, which will be built at the Krasnoye Sormovo shipyard.

The remaining ships are distributed among other shipyards in Nizhny Novgorod, which will ensure their workload in the coming years.


Dry cargo ships of the RSD59 project are river-sea class vessels. Their main purpose is to transport a wide range of cargo, including grain, lumber, scrap metal, coal and hazardous substances.

The RSD59 is 141 m long, 16,98 m wide, with a river draft of 3,6 m and a sea draft of 4,5 m. Two box-shaped holds with a total capacity of 11400 cubic meters allow the transportation of up to 248 TEU containers, of which 192 are placed inside and 56 on hatch covers.

The power plant includes two diesel engines with a capacity of 1630 hp each, which allows for a maximum speed of up to 10 knots (18,5 km/h).

The vessel is equipped with a reinforced hull of the Ice2 ice class. The crew size is 10-11 people, the maximum capacity is 14 passengers. There is enough fuel on board for 20 days of autonomous sailing.

As for the Karelia cruise liners, these vessels are designed for passenger transportation along the inland waterways of Russia and coastal sea areas. They will operate voyages along the Volga-Baltic Waterway, the White Sea-Baltic and Volga-Don shipping canals, as well as the Caspian, Azov and Black Seas.

The project provides for the placement of 88 passenger cabins of various categories, including standard, superior, suites and grand suites.


On board there is a restaurant with a private area and a veranda, a bar, a shop, a gym, a beauty salon, massage rooms, a sauna and a hammam, as well as children's playrooms for different ages.

During the navigation period, the Karelia ships will be used for cruise voyages, and in the winter they are planned to be used as hotel complexes.

The liners comply with the R3-RSN mixed navigation standards, which allows safe operation on inland waterways and in sea areas with wave heights of up to 3,5 meters.