On December 14th, 2010 a solemn ceremony of keel-laying for the first in the series dry-cargo vessel of project RSD49, Yard No. 401, took place at Nevsky Shipyard.
In accordance with the terms of the shipbuilding contract Nevsky Shipyard is to construct a series of 10 river-sea dry-cargo vessels of approximately 7,000 dwt.
The Customer - North-Western Fleet, JSC.
The project is developed by Marine Engineering Bureau-Design-SPb, JSC in close co-operation with the specialists of the Customer and Shipyard.
There were a lot of kind and warm words about the Shipyard and its employees from Nevsky Shipyard's guests of honour. In their speeches the quests expressed confidence that the Shipyard has great optimistic outlook for the future as the Shipyard proved that it has a strong desire to build vessels and that it can do it quite well. In turn, Vladimir Bazhenov, Director General of Nevsky Shipyard, LLC, assured the quests that every effort will be applied in order to build this series of vessels at the stated time. In addition, Vladimir Bazhenov emphasized that serial construction is extremely important for the Shipyard as there is an opportunity to use the gained experience for the following vessels of a series.
As a part of the solemn ceremony the Keel-Laying Board was fixed to the base section of the vessel by the guests of honour.
The vessel is being constructed in accordance with the Rules of and under supervision of Russian Maritime Register of Shipping and will be classed with:
КМ 
Ice2 R2 AUT1-C
The dry-cargo vessel of RSD49 project is intended for carrying general and bulk cargoes including steel, grain, coal, timber, coil, large-dimension and heavy-weight cargoes and hazardous cargoes of classes 1, 1.4S, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 of IMDG Code and the Appendix B of the BC Code in the Caspian Sea as well as in the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea, Baltic Sea, North Sea including routes around Europe and on the Irish Sea in winter.
Cargo holds are designed of the box shape, smooth-wall, providing self-shifting of cargo.
There are three cargo holds, in particular one of them has a 50 m long cutout which makes it possible to transport, among other things, "design" oversize and heavy-lift cargoes to offshore projects in the Caspian Sea. The vessels of RSD49 project with their displacement will be the largest dry-cargo vessels meeting the requirements for dimensions of Volga-Don Shipping Canal.
Movement and controllability of the vessel is provided by two fixed pitch propellers with 2600 mm diameter, two suspended balanced rudders and 200 kW bow thruster.
The vessel will have the following principal dimensions:
Length overall - 139.95 m
Breadth overall - 16.7 m
Draft in river - 3.6 m
Cargo holds, length - 25 m + 50 m + 25 m
Deadweight in river (draft 3.6 m) - about 4525 t
Deadweight at sea (draft 4.7 m) - about 7000 t
Capacity of cargo holds - about 10900 m3
