MURMANSK, April 17. /TASS/. The Murmansk Shipping Company (MSC), the biggest cargo transport company in the Russian Arctic sector, for the first time in recent ten years purchased a new vessel for its fleet. In two days (on Wednesday, April 19) The Vsevolod Beletsky will dock the shipping company’s terminal, the company’s press service said on Monday.
"The cargo vessel was build at a shipyard in China in 2010," the company said. "In April 2017, it was registered in the Russian international registry and joined the fleet of the Murmansk Shipping Company."
Welcome ceremony
The Vsevolod Beletsky transports composed and general cargoes. Its length is 179.5m, width - 27.7m and the deadweight is more than 33,000 tonnes. Earlier, it belonged to foreign companies and served international routes. The vessel will come to Murmansk from Europe. MSC will use it for voyages to overseas destinations.
A welcome ceremony will take place in Murmansk. One of the guests would be Vsevolod Beletsky, whose name the new vessel carries. He is deputy head of the regional organization of sea and river fleets’ veterans. Vsevolod Beletsky was head of the Murmansk Shipping Company between 1985 and 1991. He was awarded two state orders.
Arctic deliveries
Earlier, MSC’s Director General Alexander Medvedev told TASS the cargo transportation along the Northern Sea Route to the Extreme North regions in 2016 made 906,000 tonnes against 776,000 tonnes in 2015. He said the Arctic fleet’s vessels can be working along the Northern Sea Route the year round.
Historically, the Murmansk Shipping Co. has been the biggest shipping company, which serves most cargo transportations in the Russian Arctic sector. The company’s director general said its strategic partners are state-owned company Chukotsnab (Chukotka’s supplies), companies Gazprom, South Tambey LNG, Yamal LNG and Norilsk Nickel. The cargo is shipped for the biggest Russian Arctic projects. The company also serves coastal shipments for the Defense Ministry along the Northern Sea Route.
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New and old vessels
The Murmansk Shipping Company has a fleet of 27 vessels of the total deadweight 541,000 tonnes. Among them are 15 dry-cargo ships, five tankers, a passenger vessel, The V. Ignatyuk icebreaker. The company plans to buy new vessels under its program for long-term development to 2020.
MSC will buy three bulkers of 30,000-tonne deadweight each before the yearend. As yet, the company would not reveal more detailed information. MSC say it is more profitable nowadays not to build new vessels, but to buy required tonnage on the secondary market.
The Murmansk Shipping Company was organized back in 1939 specially for serving developments of the Arctic and the Northern Sea Route. Its fleet was formed up from dry cargo and passenger vessels from the Northern and Baltic shipping companies.