The effective functioning of the auxiliary and technical fleet is necessary for the successful implementation of promising projects affecting the economic interests of the country in the maritime zone. This is the development of port infrastructure, the development of oil and gas fields on the continental shelf, the development of the Northern Sea Route.
In the context of the aging of the auxiliary and technical fleet vessels, the average age of which today is more than 25 years, it is necessary to apply new approaches to shipbuilding that ensure the prompt renewal of the fleet while minimizing the costs associated with the design, construction and commissioning of ships. New vessels should be multifunctional, technologically advanced in construction and economical in operation.
In this direction, the ship composition of the search and rescue support of the Navy is being updated. An example of this approach is the multifunctional modular boat of project 23370, designed by KAMPO OJSC jointly with KVARTET SPB LLC and being built at KAMPO OJSC under a government contract.
The boat is a universal catamaran-type working platform, on the basis of which boats for various purposes can be created.
Compared to ships of similar dimensions, the boat has a larger free deck area (100 m²), on which interchangeable functional modules can be installed based on 10- and 20-foot sea containers, equipped with various special equipment, the composition of which determines the purpose of the boat. On the basis of project 23370, not only diving and search and rescue boats, but also medical, hydrographic, environmental and other boats in demand today can be built.
The advantage of the boat is the possibility of its delivery to the destination in a disassembled state by standard freight transport in the form of separate block modules with full technical saturation and finishing. The final assembly of the boat takes place on a minimally equipped outfitting site.
Thus, the modular approach to construction provides the possibility of remote construction and delivery of the boat to any water area of the country, and the modular approach to acquisition ensures the versatility of the project and the ability to meet the needs of both military and civilian customers.
In 2013, the lead boat in a series of 12 boats being built for the Navy was accepted into the Baltic Fleet and in the same year confirmed its versatility and ability to replace several highly specialized ships. The boat was involved in the operation to raise a sunken car from the bottom of the Neva River and independently performed:
search for an object using side-scan sonar;
providing diving inspection and sharpening of the object;
object lifting and loading onto the deck with the help of a regular crane-manipulator;
transportation of the object on its own deck to the berth.
When carrying out this operation without the use of a project 23370 boat, additional watercraft would be required: a boat with a sonar complex to search for an object, a diving boat, a floating crane and a barge with a tug to lift and transport the object to the shore.
Today, multifunctional modular boats of project 23370 are part of the Baltic, Black Sea fleets and the Caspian flotilla. It is symbolic that the inclusion of the boat in the Black Sea Fleet took place in 2014 – the year of the annexation of Crimea to Russia. It became the first boat handed over to the Black Sea sailors over the past 25 years.
The modular approach is implemented not only in the construction of boats, but also in the creation of modular pontoon systems (MPS) used to create coastal infrastructure facilities: moorings and piers, floating platforms, floating bridges.
The designer and manufacturer of the MPS is OJSC KAMPO.
The MPS is a set of unified steel pontoon modules that form floating craft of various configurations and purposes. For joining the pontoons, original quick-release fasteners “Duplex” are used.
Pontoon modules are delivered to their destination by standard trucks, where they are formed into various floating craft. Lifting operations for lowering / lifting pontoon modules are performed using a standard truck crane.
A feature of the MPS is the possibility of their maintenance and storage in a disassembled state on the shore, including in winter.
Multiple assembly / disassembly of the MPS is allowed, which makes it possible to relocate objects and repair their individual elements without decommissioning the entire complex.
As an example of the use of MPS for the creation of coastal infrastructure facilities, one can cite a modular floating base complex (MPKB) of project 02210, consisting of a floating berth and a floating working platform.
The floating berth is designed for mooring and parking of ships with a displacement of up to 350 tons. Container complexes for various purposes, lifting devices and movable equipment can be installed on the berth deck.
The floating working platform is designed to accommodate equipment and special equipment for rescue, underwater technical, construction and other works. A feature of the site is its shallow draft (0.4 m), which makes it possible to operate it not only in navigable areas, but also in shallow water.
On the basis of modular pontoon systems, not only rack-mounted and towed watercraft can be created, but also self-propelled ones – work boats, ferries, barges.
The use of multifunctional floating craft, built and equipped on a modular basis, opens up broad prospects for solving the problems of fleet renewal and organizing ship basing points.
