Azerbaijan’s Lachin tanker to carry cargo across Caspian Sea and beyond (PHOTO)

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The ceremony of commissioning the first tanker built at the Baku Shipyard LLC upon the order of the Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company CJSC, as well as the launching of ‘Azerbaijan’ RoPax type ferry vessel, was held to continue the next phase of construction on December 13 with the participation of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, the Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company told Trend.

After the ceremony, a media tour was organized for a group of media representatives at the Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company.

The journalists were informed that the vessel called “Lachin” was built by local specialists on the basis of the design of the Odessa Marine Engineering Bureau. The length of the vessel is 141 meters, the width is 16.9 meters. This vessel with a crew of 15 people can move at a speed of 10 knots per hour. The tanker has six cargo tanks with a total capacity of 9,212 cubic meters intended for the transportation of crude oil and oil products. The vessel has been equipped with two Wartsila engines.

The Lachin tanker is capable of transporting oil and oil products not only in the Caspian Sea, but also delivering liquid cargoes through the Volga-Don and Volga-Baltic canals. Presently, three more tankers of this type are under construction at the Baku Shipyard upon the Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company’s order.

Then, the journalists got acquainted with the recently launched ‘Azerbaijan’ RoPax type ferry vessel to continue the next stage of construction.

The media representatives were informed that the construction of the hull of this vessel has been fully completed. The rest construction and installation work will continue in the side hull of the shipyard. For this purpose, the vessel was loaded into the floating dock of the shipyard.

The length of the unique vessel is 154.5 meters, width – 17.7 meters, speed – 14 knots. The ferry is capable of transporting 56 wagons, 50 trucks and 100 passengers. The concept of a vessel of this type, the crew of which consists of 30 people, was developed jointly with the Odessa Marine Engineering Bureau and specialists of the Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company.

‘Azerbaijan’ ferry vessel of the RoPax type, as well as another vessel of the same type that is currently under construction, will make a significant contribution to the development of transit cargo transportation along the Caspian Sea and the East-West transport corridor.

President Aliyev has recently ordered to carry out large-scale projects and important reforms to develop the country’s transport, logistics and transit transportation sectors. As a result of these measures, positive results were achieved.

The Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company received 20 vessels during the past six years thanks to President Aliyev’s special attention and care.

The Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company widely uses the capabilities of the Baku Shipyard, which has the most modern and unique shipbuilding potential in the region to support the local shipbuilding industry in the construction of ships. So far, one reserve port and three passenger ships have been built and commissioned at the Baku Shipyard upon the Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company’s order.

Moreover, the Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company and the Baku Shipyard signed an agreement on the construction of two TIR tankers and two tankers for the transportation of goods of RoPax / Bara type in late 2016.

The Baku Shipyard will construct two more tankers of the same type upon the Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company’s order in February 2019.

Some 70 percent of the construction of these vessels is funded through the profit of the Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company, while 30 percent through the state investments.

At the same time, the negotiations are underway with the Baku Shipyard for the construction of vessels for various purposes, necessary for the fleet of the Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company. Among them are dry cargo vessels, container ships, crane vessels, fire vessels, reserve, supply and transport vessels.