The OSK designers have developed a promising vessel for underwater technical work.

The design unit of the United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) has presented 
a promising vessel for supporting underwater technical operations (UTO), 
designed to contain the impact of potentially hazardous objects on the environment 
at depths of more than 1,000 meters. Sudostroenie.info was informed about 
this on April 1 by the corporation’s press service.

The new vessel was presented as part of the II intersectoral conference “Underwater Technical Operations: Innovations, Technologies, Safety” 
in St. Petersburg. The project of a promising vessel has been developed to mitigate the negative impact of potentially hazardous bottom 
objects on the environment, including objects containing ionizing radiation and other radionuclide sources. It will make it possible 
to comprehensively address the challenges of safely handling submerged and sunken objects, reducing environmental risks 
to marine areas and coastal territories.

According to the USC, two main approaches are currently used to contain such objects: lifting them from the seabed or installing 
engineering protective barriers (container‑type shelters) over the object; the choice of option depends on the condition of the object 
and the conditions of the work. Each of the approaches requires the use of sophisticated technologies and a specialized fleet.

The advanced PTR vessel is capable of performing a full cycle of operations for both localization approaches and is designed for transporting 
and lowering cargo, carrying out ship salvage operations over a wide range of depths, and installing engineering protective barriers weighing 
up to 100 tons over localized objects.

The vessel is equipped with a special device for lifting sunken objects. The 100‑ton crane is equipped with a deep‑sea winch and a vertical pitch 
compensation mode, which ensures the safety and accuracy of cargo operations in challenging sea conditions. The cargo deck allows 
for the transportation and placement of shelters, process equipment, and recovered sunken objects.

At the same time, specialists have developed a special positioning technology for the vessel’s localizing shelters, which significantly increases 
the accuracy of their placement over bottom objects. The increased accuracy makes it possible to significantly reduce the dimensions of the 
protective barriers and, as a result, lower their cost. The balanced composition of lifting equipment, robotic underwater systems, navigation 
support, and electric propulsion enables the vessel to carry out the most complex tasks using efficient and yet simple technological schemes.

The designers of the USC have also proposed a technology for transporting and accurately installing large‑scale shelters at depths of up to 300 m 
using cable guides, the corporation adds.

Illustration: USC