Russian Shipyard Tests Uncrewed Cargo Boat for Siberian River Supply
Russia’s Pskov Boat Shipyard has carried out trials of an uncrewed cargo boat on Lake Pskov, near the city of Pskov in north-western Russia, close to the border with Estonia. The boat is designed to carry supplies to remote settlements along the Ob and Irtysh rivers in Siberia, thousands of kilometres to the east.
A representative of the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping attended the trials as an expert observer. He assessed how stable the remote-control link was, how well the boat followed a set route on its own, and whether its operating characteristics met current safety requirements.
From the CrewMirror Blog
The boat is 8 metres long and 2 metres wide, or 2.5 metres including its buoyancy sponsons. It can carry up to 1,500 kg and is powered by a 115 hp (86 kW) petrol outboard engine. Its equipment includes a GNSS receiver and display, a heading sensor, radar, video cameras, a weather sensor, a communications module, an AIS transponder and an autopilot that can hold a planned track. The shipyard’s founder, Vladimir Chulkov, said it is “a completely uncrewed boat.”
The aim is to move building materials, food, fuel and other goods to communities that are hard to reach by road, especially along Siberia’s long river network, where small settlements often depend on water transport.
CrewMirror Takeaway
Small uncrewed craft are likely to become more common on rivers and in coastal waters. Watchkeepers on crewed vessels will need to recognise them on AIS and radar and treat them with the same caution as any other vessel, since there may be no one on board to answer a VHF call.
