VESSEL REVIEW | Lotos-1 – Versatile sand dredger delivered to Russian inland waterway authority

The Southern Shipbuilding and Ship Repair Centre, a division under Russia's state-owned United Shipbuilding Corporation, has handed over a self-propelled dredger to local shipowner State Transport Leasing Company for operation by the country's Federal Agency for Maritime and River Transportation (Rosmorrechflot).

Lotos-1 is the first to be built under the Project 93.159 series of bucket-wheel dredgers designed by Dutch engineering consultancy Royal IHC but equipped exclusively with Russian-made components. The vessels will be used for dredging in the Ob and Dvina Rivers as well as some of their tributaries. The development and introduction of these dredgers is in line with the Russian government's goal of expanding the development of inland water transport.

The dredger has a length of 50 metres, a beam of 11.88 metres, a maximum draught of 1.3 metres, and a maximum dredging depth of 10 metres. The design and the dredging equipment ensure suitability for working with silt, boggy soil, clay, gravel, and sand of various grades and suspensions. A maximum of 900 cubic metres of soil can be extracted in one hour.

The propulsion system consists of two azimuthing thrusters connected to two containerised motors installed on the aft main deck. This arrangement is capable of delivering a free running speed of approximately 6.4 knots. The fuel supply meanwhile ensures continuous operation for a maximum of 14 days.

Some of our readers have expressed disquiet at our publication of reviews and articles describing new vessels from Russia. We at Baird Maritime can understand and sympathise with those views. However, despite the behaviour of the country's leaders, we believe that the maritime world needs to learn of the latest developments in vessel design and construction there.

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