ST. PETERSBURG, October 24. /TASS/. The St. Petersburg-based Sredne-Nevsky Shipyard in northwest Russia (part of the United Shipbuilding Corporation) plans to float out the country’s first ship with the crewless navigation technology in 2020, Shipyard CEO Vladimir Seredokho told TASS on Thursday.

The breakthrough vessel Pioneer-M will operate all year round in the Black and Azov Seas, the chief executive said.

‘We will make the hull while the construction will be completed in Sevastopol. Now work is underway to finally approve the project. I believe we will float it out next autumn and then carry out trials next year. We will partially hold trials here, then float it out and check it, after which we will transfer it [to Sevastopol] for completing its construction," he said.

The Pioneer-M crewless vessel was designed by scientists of the Sevastopol State University, at the department of Innovative Shipbuilding and Offshore Deposit Development Technology set up by the Corall Central Design Bureau.

The vessel’s construction will proceed at three shipyards of the United Shipbuilding Corporation. The Sredne-Nevsky Shipyard will carry out work to build the composite hull while specialists of the Sudokompozit enterprise in Crimea will focus on creating the vessel’s superstructure. The final assembly will take place at the Sevmorzavod Shipyard.

The crewless ship will be 25.7 meters long and 9 meters wide. It will be able to develop a speed of 10 knots and will displace 82 tonnes.

The project is being implemented with the support of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, the United Shipbuilding Corporation and the Strategic Initiatives Agency. The project is being financed under the federal target program: "Research and Development in the Priority Areas of Developing Russia’s Scientific and Technical Potential in 2014-2020." The United Shipbuilding Corporation is acting as the project’s industrial partner. Investment in the project totals 300 million rubles ($4.7 million).