Rabochaya leaves for her first autonomous voyage

The hopper barge Rabochaya has left for her first autonomous voyage, FSUE Rosmorport informs.

This trip will be conducted under the framework of unmanned shipping project, initiated by MARINET Industry Center of the National Technology Initiative (NTI).

During the voyage off the Port of Gelendzhik, the barge will be tested for the ability to detect targets and offer optimal maneuvering.

As reported earlier, FSUE Rosmorport already started testing of new equipment for unmanned navigation in 2020.

The project is supported by the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Transport and the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping.

In 2019, Rosmorport announced that their dredger Redut and barge Rabochaya will be included in the project on unmanned navigation of NTI’s Industry Center MARINET.

Under the plan, a remote control desk was installed on the Redut, allowing her to control the Rabochaya. Special equipment comprised of a single basic technological platform was also installed on the barge.

In the future, Rosmorport will work on the plans that one crew on board the leading ship will simultaneously control all the ships of the dredging group. This will help optimize the number of crew members on the vessels and improve coordination of operations.

Earlier this month, General Director of the Agency for Strategic Initiatives (ASI), Svetlana Chupsheva, informed the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, about testing of these technological solutions on four types of vessels.

The tests with unmanned vessels under the flag of the Russian Federation are to be held between December 10, 2020, and December 31, 2025, according to the Decree dated 05.12.2020 (No 2031), published on the official website of RF Government.

The self-propelled hopper barge Rabochaya of KM Ice 1 R3-RSN AUT3 Class is designed for transporting dredged sediment to the unloading site as a part of a dredging convoy with a mechanical dredge or a pipeline dredge when dredging operations are being carried out.

The barge is equipped with the bottom system of hull opening.

The main engines are placed in the back hull of the barge and covered by protection shields.

The Rabochaya was put afloat at the Onego Shipyard in September 2018. Vessels of this project are designed for the operation in the basins of the Black Sea, the Caspian Sea and the Baltic Sea.