Russian shipowners start dismantling ships to make ends meet? Lamenting the departure of "foreign equipment suppliers"

2022-09-26 09:00

Due to sanctions, foreign equipment suppliers have withdrawn from the Russian market, forcing FSUE Rosmorport, the state-owned enterprise operating the world's largest icebreaker fleet, to dismantle equipment from some of its vessels to maintain the operation of others.

According to Russian media reports, Vasily Strugug, Deputy General Director of Rosmorport, revealed that the company has decided to dismantle the diesel-electric icebreaker Yermak (built in 1974) and use its parts to repair another icebreaker of the same type, Krasin, also built in 1974.

Vasily Strugug introduced that both ships were built by a Finnish shipyard and ordered by the Russian company Sudoimport. Two companies from St. Petersburg are now responsible for dismantling the Yermak, removing more than 700 pieces of equipment. The decommissioning of this vessel will keep the Krasin in operational readiness.

It is understood that ROSMORPORT, a Russian federal state-owned enterprise headquartered in Moscow and established in 2003, is a state-owned enterprise under the Russian Ministry of Transport responsible for the construction of Russia's national seaports and maritime infrastructure. According to International Ship Network, ROSMORPORT currently operates 36 icebreakers in the Arctic region, the world's largest icebreaker fleet. It escorts merchant ships and other vessels through icy waters, acts as an auxiliary vessel in complex fleets on the Northern Sea Route, and can independently escort vessels in shallow Arctic waters. Its icebreaker fleet is powered by 6.4 MW, 7 MW auxiliary, 13 MW, 16 MW, 18 MW, and 25 MW vessels.

Rosmorport's fleet currently has nearly 300 vessels, of which 268 are in operation, serving 65 ports in 24 regions.

Strugug said that in the short term, 22 idle vessels will help us avoid closure, and they are being dismantled for spare parts. Strugug said that Rosmorport had previously decided to write off these vessels, and after the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine crisis in February, "they accelerated this process".

Yermak

It is understood that the Yermak and Krasin are both Russian R-1039 construction project (Yermak type) icebreakers. There are a total of three vessels of this type, the other being the Admiral Makarov. This type of vessel has four decks, a medium-sized superstructure, and a stern propulsion system.

At the time of construction, the Yermak-type vessel was one of the most powerful diesel-electric icebreakers in the world. Its design is similar to that of Russia's first nuclear-powered icebreaker, Lenin, but slightly less powerful in terms of propulsion system power. The Yermak-type vessel has nine diesel-electric power units with a total power of 30.4 MW, driving three propeller shafts, and can navigate through 1.8-meter-thick ice at a speed of 4-6 knots.

With the decommissioning of the Yermak, Rosmorport now has the opportunity to conduct short summer voyages to ensure the Krasin is ready for winter navigation. Strugug also admitted: "Obviously, the vessels we use for spare parts will run out sooner or later in the short term. In fact, the number of usable spare parts and equipment on these vessels is insufficient, but the equipment manufacturers have left the market."

He said that in order to solve the problem of spare parts supply difficulties, it is possible to modernize the Finnish-made icebreakers to extend their service life by 15 years. The six icebreakers involved are Kapitan Dranitsyn, Kapitan Khlebnikov, Kapitan Chechkin, Kapitan Bukaev, Kapitan Chadaev, and Kapitan Zarubin.

It is understood that since the outbreak of the Russo-Ukrainian War, Western sanctions have led to European ship equipment suppliers withdrawing from the Russian market, including a ban on providing ship equipment and services to Russia. Sanctions have not only affected ships under construction but also significantly impacted ships currently operating in Russia, as Russian ships heavily rely on foreign equipment. In addition, countries that have not imposed sanctions on Russia seem hesitant to provide spare parts from their stockpiles for fear of secondary sanctions from Western countries.

Industry insiders say that Russia's practice of using dismantled ship parts to maintain another ship is a temporary fix, not a fundamental solution. As more and more parts need to be replaced for ship operations, fewer and fewer ships are available, and eventually there may be "no walls left to use."

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