Sredne-Nevsky Shipbuilding Plant (SNSZ, St. Petersburg) is completing tests of a line of lifeboats and launching devices of its own production. They were developed for installation on icebreakers, tankers, dry cargo ships, fishing vessels, and drilling platforms. This was reported by the press service of the United Shipbuilding Corporation (OSK).
What open vessels for evacuation are included in the line:
- rescue boats with a capacity of 6, 8, and 15 people
- free-fall lifeboat for 16 people
- 65-person lifeboat in Arctic version
The Arctic model is designed for operation at temperatures from -40 to +45 °C. It is intended for use on Project 22220, 21900M, and 21900M2 icebreakers.
The advantages of the new lifeboats are their lightness and strength due to the use of composite materials. Most prototypes of the vessels have passed tests, and some products are undergoing certification. Then SNSZ will begin their serial production.
SNSZ General Director Sergey Karachkov stated that the lives of sailors depend on rescue equipment. It is important for the enterprise not only to create an analogue of a foreign product but also to develop solutions that will be in demand by domestic shipbuilding enterprises, he concluded.
The project is being implemented with the support of the Ministry of Industry and Trade within the framework of the state program "Development of shipbuilding and equipment for the development of shelf fields." Its goal is the serial production of ship equipment for Russian shipyards.