Kherson Shipyard of Smart Maritime Group has accomplished a stage of external hull operations as part of a redesign of a donor ore-oil tanker to transform it into the first sludge-disposal barge.
The shipyard's specialists have started setting up of the strut beams, erection of forward and aft bulkheads and installation of flaps.
A self-propelled barge with bottom flaps and a loading bin will be used in tandem with a dredger for bottom dredging of the riverbed and in the water areas of ports.
It is a reminder that this is the first project in Ukraine that allows turning a motor ship with a dry cargo hold into a self-propelled barge, i.e. completely changing the designation of the vessel.
A total of two barges are planned to be redesigned by SMG. The total value of this contract will be about one and a half million U.S. dollars.
