"Marshal Rokossovsky" - the largest ferry in Russia

The sea giant was laid down at the Kuzey Star Shipyard (Turkey) at the end of 2018. In less than a couple of years, the ship left the stocks. And in the spring of 2021, he was already in the port of registry - the city of Ust-Luga, Kaliningrad Region, where in March the Russian flag was hoisted on the ship. Now the construction of the second ferry of the CNF19M series, which has already received the name General Chernyakhovsky, is underway at the Turkish shipyard (it is planned to launch at the end of 2022). Initially, it was planned to spend 10 billion rubles on the construction of two ships. However, given the Russian practice of initially understating the cost, in the summer of 2021 another 2,55 billion rubles were added.


Someone may reproach: is it really impossible to build such a ship in Russia? Can. The reason is banal - nowhere. All shipyards of the Russian Federation are busy "to the eyeballs" for several years to come. To build such a large vessel as the Marshal Rokossovsky, one would have to wait a long time. This is at least 5 years. And the ferry is needed now, today.

Purpose

The ship will provide reliable communication between the "mainland" and the Russian western outpost. Today, a couple of ships operate in the Kaliningrad direction. One, the Baltiysk railway ferry, is already 37 years old, the second, the ship with the sonorous name Ambal, is 31 years old. Both vehicles were built in Germany. Both are unable to cross the Gulf of Finland in the cold season without the help of an icebreaker, which raises the cost of transported goods.



Therefore, the need for a replacement is ripe, especially given the current political and economic situation in which Russia finds itself. One gets the impression that someone knew about the coming troubles and prepared for them in advance. Today, the logistical blockade does not threaten the enclave.



The fact that the ferry was urgently needed is evidenced by the fact that at the end of the flag-raising ceremony, the loading of the vessel began. Upon arrival at the Marshal Rokossovsky route line, transportation volumes will increase by one and a half times. Only for its first flight, the ferry delivered 2600 tons of various cargoes to its destination.

About specifications and features

"Marshal Chernyakhovsky" is the first ship in the Russian Federation that runs on diesel fuel and liquefied gas. It is located in a pair of tanks with a total capacity of 600 m³. The use of LNG made it possible to completely eliminate soot and sulfur oxide emissions into the atmosphere and reduce the yield of nitrogen compounds by 90%. Also, 25% less carbon dioxide was released into the environment. Gas turbine engines provide not only the propulsion of the vessel, but also the operation of all electrics on the ship with the help of a pair of shaft generators with a total capacity of 4800 kW. However, as a last resort, a backup diesel generator was prepared, producing 400 kW of energy. Other technical characteristics of the ferry:

• ? length, width - 199,9 and 27 m
  
• ? draft (summer) - 6 m
  
• ? side height - 14,7 m
  
• ? power plant - a pair of engines of 8158 "horses"
  
• ? speed - up to 16,5 knots (30,6 km / h)
  
• ? fuel consumption at a cruising speed of 15 knots - 1172 kg / h
  
• ? number of crew members - 24 people
  

The vessel is equipped with a special arctic reinforcement system Arc4. This allows you to overcome eighty-centimeter ice. The ferry has a double bottom and the same sides. For convenience and safety during maneuvering, mooring, the ship is equipped with an adjustable pitch propeller system, in front there is a pair of 1000 kW thrusters.



The project "Marshal Rokossovsky" was developed taking into account the use of autonomous navigation. Vessel control is fully digitalized: computer systems are manufactured in the Russian Federation.

Passengers or cargo?

The current route from Ust-Luga to Baltiysk is not in great demand among citizens. Therefore, the passenger function for any ship will be subsidized: it is economically unprofitable to carry only people.



But when building a ship, the arrangement of passenger cabins involves a special design that affects the speed of the ship, its car capacity. Therefore, the customer decided to make the ship a “pure” cargo ship in order to recoup it in the shortest possible time.

The design of "Marshal Rokossovsky"

The main purpose of the vessel is the transportation of railway cars with a standard Russian gauge of 152 cm, located on the main lower deck. It can carry:

• ? 80 tanks type T-1
  
• ? 54 gondola cars
  
• ? 36 full wagons
  

Wheeled vehicles are located on the upper deck. Its loading is carried out through fixed coastal ferry complexes or removable bridges. The process is carried out through a ramp from the main deck. At the top, 40 cars with trailers 13,5 m long will fit. If you place equipment on the main deck, without railway trains, then 58 road trains 16,5 m long will enter. To put it simply, on average, the ferry is able to transport up to 80 wagons and 78 cars .



The navigation bridge is equipped with one command and two onboard control panels. The chief mechanic has "his own" system of control over the ship's equipment.



The ferry provides accommodation for the crew and 12 passenger cabins. In the first case, these are single "rooms" with bathrooms. In the second - two quadruple and a couple of cabins for two people. There are 36 seats on the ferry in total. In addition to the main premises, there is a gym, swimming pool and sauna.

Security

All pipelines supplying gas and storage tanks are equipped with vent valves to relieve pressure if necessary. All highways are double and pass through enclosed spaces (isolated in open areas). The gas storage facility is equipped with forced ventilation and a control system - the slightest fuel leak will be immediately detected. The “extreme case” is not forgotten either - lifeboats are placed on both sides in front of the ferry, each of which is designed for 36 people.

How is gas supplied?

For this, there are special bunkering ships. But there are not enough "tankers" alone - an appropriate port infrastructure is needed. The government has already discussed a document on the construction of gas bases in 15 ports. So far, there is only one special bunkering vessel built in Singapore in the Russian Federation. It is capable of transporting up to 5800 "cubes" of gas and refueling passenger and cargo ships.

What's next?

Today, experts are carefully analyzing the "behavior" of the new ferry on the line. Conclusions will be drawn on making adjustments to the design of the vessel, as well as port infrastructure. This will make it possible in the future to transport goods more efficiently, to make additions and improvements to ships of this type under construction.



The appearance on the line by the end of this year of another ferry "General Chernyakhovsky" will completely close the problem of cargo transportation by water to the Kaliningrad region. Their volume, only thanks to Marshal Rokossovsky, will grow to the planned 2 million tons. As a result, part of the cargo moving by land across the borders of several countries, often hostile to Russia, will be redirected to the sea route.

The Arc 4 anti-ice system available on board the new and under construction ferry will allow navigation throughout the year. In addition, we should not forget the environmental component: thanks to the engines running on “blue fuel”, the amount of air pollutants has significantly decreased: the Russian ship meets IMO requirements, whose standards limit harmful emissions into the Baltic Sea.