VESSEL REVIEW | Nikolay Rusanov – New Russian dredger for Caspian Sea depth restoration and maintenance

Russian state-owned marine services provider Rosmorport recently took delivery of a new non-self-propelled cutter suction dredger (CSD) built by Stroyliderplus. Nikolay Rusanov is the lead vessel of the Project FPDG3 series of three dredgers that are designed for use in port and channel waters.

Suitable for port and channel operations

The new dredger is named in honour of Nikolay Vasilyevich Rusanov, who was the Head of the Maritime Administration of the port of Astrakhan from 1994 to 2000.

Each of the Project FPDG3 dredgers has a steel hull, an LOA of 55 metres (180 feet), a beam of 12.5 metres (41 feet), a maximum draught of only 2.1 metres (6.9 feet), a deadweight tonnage of 503, a minimum dredging depth of three metres (9.8 feet), and a maximum dredging depth of 15 metres (49 feet). The dredging equipment consists of a pump with a dedicated 1,820kW motor, a 500kW cutter, and suction and discharge pipes each with a diameter of 800 mm.

There is an opening on the bow for the frame on which the cutter and the soil suction pipe are fitted. Transportation of the excavated soil to the shore is carried out using a floating slurry pipeline.

Nikolay Rusanov will be operated in the Volga-Caspian Sea Shipping Canal, particularly the seaports of Olya and Astrakhan and their respective channels to ensure safety of navigation. The deployment of the dredger is part of a broader initiative of increasing the depth of the Caspian Sea, which had dropped by nearly 1.5 metres (4.9 feet) from 2006 to 2024. The CSD will help restore ideal depths in these critical waters.

Also capable of working in offshore waters

Construction of the CSD was also undertaken by Lotos Shipyard in collaboration with Stroyliderplus. Lotos was responsible for construction of the hull while Stroyliderplus worked on final outfitting and commissioning.

Design work on Nikolay Rusanov was completed in compliance with Russian Maritime Register of Shipping rules, which include those that cover safe operation at a distance of up to 50 nautical miles from the nearest place of refuge.