23.07.2012 15:06 / shipbuilding news, passenger fleet, marine engine, diesel engines

Ruslan Sadykov, MAN-MT: “We Want to Help in Restoration of Passenger Fleet”

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In the beginning of June seminar “Modernization of Passenger Fleet” organized by Marine Technics Group of Companies in association with manufacturer of high-speed marine engines MAN Engines and Components was held in Lenexpo. As always skeptical shipbuilding specialists having listened report of speakers, who were representatives of MAN, Subdivision of Group of Companies Marine Technics МТ-MAN and Russian Company Composite Shipbuilding had to recognize relevancy of stated offers concerning re-equipping of speed passenger boats. Moreover further journey on reequiped “Meteor” demonstrated the boat capabilities after similar operation.

However one and the same keynote idea “It is impossible to ride a dead horse. New vessels shall be constructed” was in all discussions.

We have decided to discuss the results with the Head of Subdivision МТ-MAN Ruslan Sadykov, initiator and direct participant of seminar.

Index values for vessel after reequipping, which have been stated by you, are very satisfactory. I think, many attendants think of modernization of their own vessels, demand for passenger voyages is growing. However you must admit that it is abnormal to use vessels, which service life is expired and which shall be recycled long ago.
Within the frame of this event you present Composite Shipbuilding. Their projects are sufficiently ambitious from the point of view of used technologies and manufacturing terms.
The activity of our partners is directed to, what have not already been made in our country anymore in practice, specifically to composite shipbuilding. In our country aluminum is mainly preferred, because it is cheap, easy-to-operate and can be used in the conditions of ice slurry that provides the possibility to increase navigation terms. Sergey Voloshenko (Head of Composite Shipbuilding) has already declared, that they managed to make more stable composite, which can also navigate in icy chips. If it is so, they can replace aluminum.
This company is young, active and has original ideas and approach to the activity, due to this it is not liked. Approach to business organization is also nontrivial, it builds ships and sells them simultaneously. Actually community of persons being keen as mustard has gathered in this company.
Composite Shipbuilding can assemble finished hull for 3 weeks, we have seen the operating process on the site. Who else can provide such terms? And this company doesn’t afraid competition and offers to compete, all technologies are in public access.
We have been working with Composite Shipbuilding since December of last year, negotiations has been started earlier. Now simultaneous works on three vessels for summit APEC-2012 are being completed, for it we have provided unique conditions for cooperation and we like to work with it.

Such vessels shall be in demand, passenger fleet is regenerated. Because you also actively work in this sphere. Have you passed the report, which theses were formed during seminar, to the Ministry of Transport?
Report considering opinions of seminar participants, our management and work team has been corrected and prepared for passing. Now we expect the possibility to provide it to the government. In the result the letter has bee transformed into presentation, which shall be shown, explained and assured. Within the frame of preparation for the seminar we shall fall outside the limits of customary work model and look at task otherwise.
Let’s remember recent past. In the Soviet times Volga Shipping transported up to 6.5 mln persons within a year. This value is well known and quoted. In this region population has not reduced, and I want to believe that road quality has improved, as number of vehicles has increased. The market has changed, but still a part of country territories is inaccessible for vehicles, for example, Siberia. Notwithstanding that multi-million-strong cities are provided with roads, traffic is obstructed day and night.
Experience of St. Petersburg and Moscow shows that even construction of main roads and ring road doesn’t reduce interest to “Meteors”. Certainly, they become amusement ride. However, when guests visited our city, for me it was easier to take “Meteor” near Dvortsovaya Square and go to Peterhof within half hour, while driving in a car along ring road within one and half hour and inevitably stay in traffic jam at the city entry.
Speed vessels are one more segment of town transport, which can be both entertaining and logistic. It is never compared with underground railways and trains, but it has its own advantages including distant routes. For example, distance between Tomsk and Kemerovo takes 8 hours by bus in hot weather. Planes don't flight there, local airlines have been closed long ago. Trains are functioning anyhow. Traveling by water can be much faster and safely.

Recently much emphasis is on shallow rivers — what if boat can’t pass?
It is another issue, which shall be discussed. In order to clean basins and perform dredging, there shall be demand for the route. The matter consists in stated task, specifically, obtaining the certain level in passenger traffic flow. And we have all resources for this. There are seas and lakes with settlements. There is a population, which is able to pay in most cases now and interested in creation of convenient transport.
We hopped, that during seminar there was response from the regions, even performed preliminary work with them, but you saw, only two persons risked to speak. On the board of “Meteor” everything outgrew into rebellious discussions.
Solving problems of passenger transport and increase a number of persons traveling by water can also be performed within the frame of the state. No matter weather it happens on new vessels or on reequipped ones. Moreover it is necessary to take into account time factor. Construction of new vessels is maintained by all shipowners and state. But maximum 2-3 vessels are constructed per year. Why? Because it is expensive, very expansive. Cost of one new vessel of similar class for 100 passengers is equal to 150–300 mln RUR. It is obvious, that our yards are not ready to solve such tasks, no matter what they say.
Nowadays Pacifico Marine declares 10 catamarans per year. But for hull form shall be prepared, equipment shall be installed and tested and all systems shall be checked. This is ambitious index, one company and 10 vessels per year for 150 passengers each. Maximum all yards can produce 20 vessels per year, and only if all gather, and start quickly to construct them from damp wood as in times of Peter I. Certainly, this is utopia.
From the other hand there are the same “dead hoses”, about which Vodokhod, Russian Cruises and Astramarin tell, that “they can be used within 20 years strictly. If the Register permits”.

Certainly, if it permits. These vessels have already navigated so long, and it is more complicated to obtain permit from year to year.
It is clear, that age issue is critical. From the other hand, the hull shall be checked by inspectors of the Registers every year. Actually, the most part of time hydrofoil craft flight in air. What loads can be there? It is not air speed. Mainly bottom part checked every year and regularly renewed is damaged.
These are regular buses but only water ones. But people say that they have poor maneuverability. Everything is logical, because vessel navigates via line. You exit, lift, jump over and moor. Moreover, after reequipment the boat capability to maneuver at various speed is improved by many times. Besides it has been noted by guests of our seminar after journey by “Meteor” with engine MAN.

As if you describe airfoil boat.
Airfoil boats are very controversial matter of the future and matter of the past according to evaluation of some specialists. Honestly speaking, we have never worked with airfoil boats. In this context we have more practical approach. Not without reason we have developed the subject “Heritage of Soviet Unions”: many vessels are out of commission actually. They can navigate! The government represented by Committee on Transport and Transit Policy shift responsibility on the business, like, why you don’t take the task? And it is necessary to provide help for business! Because it is easier to sell alcohol drinks, than organize transportation by water. Our legislation takes up so sever position in relation to all private traders working in water, that only in St. Petersburg, where there is inrush of tourists, entrepreneurs risk to carry it on.
We consider, that everything can be cardinally solved only at the level of the Ministry of Transport permitting private passenger voyage along the river. It is necessary to ease tax law for companies being involved in modernization of old vessels, and simplify licensing procedures. Only number of new constrictions can be made as determining factor for strategy. What’s sense, if vessels are constructed, and then they are out of commission, because the projects don’t suitable for operation in rivers and lakes? In the result there is no any use of such investments either for owner or potential passengers.

But it shall also be sold into the proper region.
That's it. What’s sense, if we just only construct new vessels? Because of this number of transported passengers, which compensate construction processes, is not increased. But in five years there will be passenger traffic flow.
It can be made in a different way. Voyages can be started now, and in several years the passenger will have formed needs: provide regular voyages for us and new vessels. The same situation with parking near airport, firstly one hundred places were made, then two hundred places, then lifting gate had to be mounted, and now there are just parkings to horizon, and people constantly drive.
The transport has the certain inertness. If you close the airport for a year, then open it in a year and wait for a year, until it filled up again. River voyages closed and people become disaccustomed. Then they will open and passengers will inevitably come. And it will be good both for state and people and transport and for those, who construct this transport. This is main message, about which we want to inform both government and marine association.

During the seminar several questions about engines operating on fuel blend and gas were asked. At that time you did not have enough time to cover this subject. I want to ask now, whether does MAN supply engines operating on gas?
Only not coast equipment. During seminar the head of diesel engine manufacturing department of Leningrad Institute of engineers of water transport told about engines operating on blended fuel types. During company work there were cases of such engines mounting in a number of facilities. Bur in fact MAN as the concern finds no sense in these constructions for high speed engines. Diesel fuel saving is conventional, gas and fuel piping is required. Engine adaptations for the customer’s request were made. In the line of such engines there was no.

And what about vehicles operating on gas? Do you work with them, have you ever deliver them in Russia and do you plan it in the future?
We have sufficient experience for delivery of such engines as part of gas piston power plants and cogeneration plants. But more such generators were delivered from other European baling companies. We perform their maintenance.
MAN is one of leading brand suppliers of gas equipment in Europe. As for Europe we are still second market, in Russia this equipment is not so actual, but the market become stronger and is expanded. Therefore, there is a growing number of companies, which sell product assembled there, and there are more and more companies, which want to assemble these engines, more precisely generators here, and now we are working at it.

Due to severing requirements for ecology, how do you think, weather Russian yards start construction, and shipowners use gas ducts?
For the last year I have had only one request for gas marine engine. Maybe their number will be growing in the future. Are you ready for this? This issue associates with classification. Nowadays the Register is mainly restricting and prohibiting agency. It is clear, that the order shall be kept in this branch. But if we are interested in construction of gas ducts, then the appropriate guidelines shall be provided from the government to regulatory authorities, specifically, “not press, but help”. If we are interested in target development of passenger traffic flow in waterways, the appropriate orders shall be provided.
Now in the whole world transferring to new standard environmental friendliness and severing of navigation safety rules are performed. This is correct, this is system tendency. If the government doesn’t keep silent and uses its administrative lever for structural changes of the situation, then the process will go in Russia as it shall be. However, situation shall be to consider in general. But we have not yet communicated with the representatives of the government concerning this subject.

Deputy Ministry of Transport Olersky has spoken for development of passenger navigation for a long time. I hope, that he will support you.
But I have another question more philosophic. What perspectives do you see for your trend in Russia?
If we speak about marine engines MAN, then this brand have several indisputable advantages. This engine is of original European assembly. This engine has been specially designed for performance of the certain tasks. It is not just improved popular modification. MAN is working at the line of engines with high power and pay millions of euro in order to create actual perfect vehicle maintaining its main parameters so that the engine is smaller but more powerful, so that it is environmentally friendly, but cost-efficient, so that it is modern in control, but efficient in operation. Germans call it as engineering and consider not without reasons, that they have obtained the certain peaks in workmanship.
Five years ago everybody told, that five years passed, and the whole market would be filled with Chinese products. The term has expired, and such tendency is not observed. And it is good. In marine business it is impossible to deliver engine, allow for it to be used for half of life and dug into earth, as it happens in industrial sector. For shipbuilding quality of delivered equipment, safety and lifetime are too important. Vessel life is approximately 30 years. Therefore, engine life shall be equitable. In this regard MAN has excellent stimulus for further self-improvement.

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