St. Petersburg's Northern Wharf to Hand Another Valdai Class Bulk Carrier over to Czechia

On December 19, St. Petersburg's Northern Wharf will hand another bulk carrier of the Valdai class over to the Czechska Ladenica company of Czechia. This is according to the statement made at a press conference by Andrei Dutov, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Northern Wharf. He said that a protocol of acceptance for the vessel had been signed recently. Both vessels will be managed by the North-Western Ship Lines.

The Valdai sea-river class bulk carrier was designed by the Vympel design bureau in the city of Nizhny Novgorod. It is 128 metres long and 17 metres wide. Its loading capacity reaches 3,580 tonnes in fresh and 4,800 tonnes in salt water. The vessels are intended for carrying general cargoes from river ports in Central Russia to seaports in Europe, Asia, and Africa. The approximate cost of the construction of each such vessel is USD 5.5million. The ships are made in payment of the debt owed to Czechia by the former USSR, amounting to a total of USD 3.6 billion.

The Northern Wharf shipbuilding company was founded on November 14, 1912. Its principal stockholders include the New Programs and Concepts holding company (53.46%), the Russian Fund of Federal Properties (20.96%), and the Rinaco company (18.85%).