Kolodyazhny: Civil shipbuilding in Russia needs an innovative breakthrough. Dmitry Kolodyazhny was appointed Managing Director of OJSC UC UDC, Igor Gorsky was appointed First Deputy Managing Director. Vice President for Technical Development Dmitry Kolyadzhny

USC Vice President for Technical Development Dmitry Kolodyazhny / Photo: youtube.com

What does the combination of science and practice give in shipbuilding? Vice-President of the United Shipbuilding Corporation for Technical Development Dmitry Kolodyazhny answers questions from Rossiyskaya Gazeta.

- Not long ago, USC President Alexey Rakhmanov and President of the Kurchatov Institute Research Center Mikhail Kovalchuk signed a bilateral agreement and called it “a springboard for joint movement forward.” Why was the agreement required and what does it provide?

Dmitry Kolodyazhny: The work of the Kurchatov Institute itself was initially of great interest to USC in a number of areas. Firstly, these are nuclear power plants of ships and vessels and everything connected with it. The institute's core activities affect this area, and work is carried out on a wide front, starting from the design of installations taking into account customer requirements and ending with their testing, as well as nuclear fuel disposal. We are interested in working on these tracks related to all stages of the life cycle of nuclear installations.

USC is also interested in the second block of Kurchatov’s activities - materials science. Recently, an event occurred that further expands the scope of our interaction in this area: our specialized materials science research institute “Prometheus” has merged into the structure of the National Research Center “Kurchatov Institute”. This block covers all work related to metallic, non-metallic, composite materials, as well as all kinds of binders.

We are working and planning to develop our cooperation in the field of welding technologies, the use of composite and ceramic materials, and we are conducting joint work on tribological products, coatings and in a number of other areas.

- Which scientific (design) organizations and production teams are involved in such joint work?

Dmitry Kolodyazhny: Almost without exception, all USC organizations. Because, if we talk about “Prometheus” as part of the Kurchatov Institute, then the use of any materials in shipbuilding requires research and testing to confirm certain characteristics and properties. Any changes, both in materials and in their processing technologies, require appropriate confirmation. Therefore, without exception, all design bureaus and USC plants that have worked with Prometheus for decades will continue to cooperate with it - now as part of the Kurchatov Institute.

The design bureaus and shipyards that worked with Prometheus will also work with it as part of the Scientific Research Center "KI".

If we talk about nuclear issues in our cooperation, this covers both military and civilian areas in the activities of the USC, including the Rubin and Malachite design bureaus, the Sevmash enterprise and the Zvezdochka Design Center. The nuclear icebreaker theme is already a combination of the Baltic Plant and the Iceberg Central Design Bureau. In a word, everyone interacts without exception.

- Where and when are joint projects launched or already launched?

Dmitry Kolodyazhny: Enterprises in the industry have had joint projects with the same “Prometheus” for decades. We have always actively collaborated with this institute; there are hundreds of contractual works, joint research and implementation. Recent ones include the development of new welding technologies and the introduction of new alloys in shipbuilding. Work is underway to use composite materials in the construction of hulls, as well as in ship engineering.

A number of new projects connect us with the Kurchatov Institute itself. For example, simulation modeling of possible processes in facilities with nuclear power plants. There are some environmental projects related to the processing and disposal of nuclear waste.

- How does this relate to solving the problems of import substitution in military and civilian shipbuilding?

Dmitry Kolodyazhny: This is a block of work associated primarily with the Prometheus Research Institute. The scientific work of the Kurchatov Institute has always been at the highest world level. Moreover, the Kurchatov team already has everything domestic - both materials and technologies, as well as design solutions.

A number of works are currently underway with Prometheus, which are aimed at replacing some imported materials and introducing their analogues into existing production. At the same time, materials and technologies are being developed to outpace imports. It is no secret that there are now a number of sanctions restrictions related to supplies for the needs of USC enterprises. Interaction with Prometheus is precisely aimed at eliminating these difficulties that have arisen.

- The new nuclear icebreaker Arktika is expected to be launched in mid-2016. What is really new about it and what will the next generation all-terrain vehicle for the Arctic be like - the one that is still being designed?

Dmitry Kolodyazhny: Thanks to the use of variable draft, icebreakers of this project are able to operate effectively both in deep Arctic water and in shallow water, in the beds of polar rivers. This feature allows these icebreakers to replace both the previous generation Arktika icebreakers and the Taimyr type vessels. The construction of the next two icebreakers of this series will primarily ensure the improvement of basic technical characteristics while optimizing operating costs.

The union of the Kurchatov team and Prometheus will benefit both science itself and USC as an industrial customer.

- The situation in and around Russia encourages us to think about supporting domestic producers and developing the necessary competencies at home. And recently a message came that a multifunctional icebreaking vessel for Sovcomflot was laid down in Helsinki - at the Finnish shipyard USC Arctech Helsinki Shipyard. What is the reason for this and is there a contradiction here with the general line of supporting shipbuilding in your country?

Dmitry Kolodyazhny: Firstly, it should be noted that USC is the owner of this Finnish shipyard. And secondly, there is mutually beneficial interaction between the Russian Vyborg plant and the Finnish shipyard Arctech Helsinki Shipyard. And there are many advantages in this cooperation: commercial, technological and others. This is a good example of cooperative interaction in the icebreaking direction.

- The creation of special vessels, technical equipment and new energy for work on the Arctic shelf - are these issues of an uncertain future or the near future for USC?

Dmitry Kolodyazhny: These are both already implemented projects and excellent near-term prospects, based on the scientific and technical resources available at USC. It is worth mentioning the ice-resistant stationary platform "Prirazlomnaya", which has a certain ice class, and also note that the corporation has a large number of technical developments that allow the implementation of various objects for trouble-free operation in Arctic conditions.

- The technical re-equipment of Russian shipyards also requires appropriate training of personnel - including basic working specialties. What are the achievements and problems here? Whose experience (which factories) deserves to be told about?

Dmitry Kolodyazhny: USC is actively establishing relationships with its specialized universities, which have specialized departments for training shipbuilding specialists. These are, first of all, the St. Petersburg State Marine Technical University and the Northern Arctic Federal University in Arkhangelsk. Now the corporation is embarking on a large-scale project to interact with the Sevastopol State Technical University.

Cooperation with universities of general mechanical engineering continues, because specialists in the field of metal processing on CNC machines, in the field of additive technologies, and composite materials are professionals who are able to work in all industries, not just in shipbuilding. Here I would like to note the extensive interaction with the St. Petersburg Polytechnic University and a number of other leading Russian technical universities.

In addition to educational processes, USC is actively involved in holding engineering competitions aimed at popularizing shipbuilding and attracting young talented specialists to the industry. For example, at the end of last year an engineering skills competition was held among undergraduate and graduate students. The projects of the competition winners were actually implemented in the works of the corporation's design bureau. We attach great importance to this work and will continue it with the involvement of new participants from among students and young scientists.

Reference information "RG"

Meanwhile, Sevmash is creating a 3D technology center

At the industry youth scientific and technical conference, which took place this spring in Severodvinsk, at the House of Technology of the Sevmash Production Association, guests and hosts exchanged experience in using new information technologies in design preparation of production. The event was organized under the auspices of the United Shipbuilding Corporation and took place with the participation of its management. The main report was made by USC Vice President for Technical Development Dmitry Kolodyazhny.

The messages and presentations covered the most current topics, including the product life cycle management system, the use of IT technologies in design and technological preparation of production, electronic archives, modeling of production processes, the use of 3D models and much more.

The introduction of advanced 3D technologies at enterprises and organizations in the industry is now receiving special attention. As Yuri Spiridonov, chief designer of PKB Sevmash, noted, in order to transfer and replicate experience, work is underway to create an industry center for 3D technologies on the basis of Sevmash software. It is believed that this will have an economic effect and will significantly reduce the cost and time required to build ships.

MOSCOW, "Rossiyskaya Gazeta"
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What does the combination of science and practice give in shipbuilding?

One of the propellers for the Arktika icebreaker was manufactured at the Zvezdochka Ship Repair Center in Severodvinsk. Photo: Press service of CS "Zvezdochka"

Dmitry Kolodyazhny, Vice President of the United Shipbuilding Corporation for Technical Development, answers Rossiyskaya Gazeta's questions.

Not long ago, USC President Alexei Rakhmanov and President of the Kurchatov Institute Research Center Mikhail Kovalchuk signed a bilateral agreement and called it “a springboard for a joint movement forward.” Why was the agreement required and what does it provide?

What scientific (design) organizations and production teams are involved in such joint work?

Design bureaus and shipyards that worked with Prometheus will work with it as part of the Scientific Research Center "KI"

Where and when are joint projects launched or already launched?

How does this relate to solving the problems of import substitution in military and civilian shipbuilding?

The new nuclear icebreaker Arktika is expected to be launched in mid-2016. What is really new about it and what will the next generation all-terrain vehicle for the Arctic be like - the one that is still being designed?

The union of Kurchatov workers and Prometheus will benefit both science itself and USC as an industrial customer

The situation in and around Russia encourages us to think about supporting domestic producers and developing the necessary competencies at home. And recently a message came that a multifunctional icebreaking vessel for Sovcomflot was laid down in Helsinki - at the Finnish shipyard USC Arctech Helsinki Shipyard. What is the reason for this and is there a contradiction here with the general line of supporting shipbuilding in your country?

Is the creation of special vessels, technical equipment and new energy for work on the Arctic shelf questions of an uncertain future or a near-term prospect for USC?

The technical re-equipment of Russian shipyards also requires appropriate training of personnel - including basic working specialties. What are the achievements and problems here? Whose experience (which factories) deserves to be told about?

Meanwhile

Sevmash is creating a 3D technology center

On September 7, personnel appointments took place at OJSC Management Company United Engine Corporation (a subsidiary of OJSC OPK Oboronprom).

Dmitry Kolodyazhny was appointed to the newly created positions of Managing Director of OJSC Management Company UEC, Igor Gorsky became the first deputy managing director. General Director of OJSC OPK Oboronprom Andrey Reus will continue to serve as General Director of OJSC Management Company UEC.

In 1995 he graduated from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of St. Petersburg State Technical University with a degree in automation of technological processes and production, machines and metal forming technology.

In 1992-93 he studied at the Higher Technical School of Reutlingen (Germany), majoring in mechanical engineering. In 1993-1995. Trained in Germany at the company August Läpple GmbH + Co KG (Heilbronn) and the Higher Technical School of Heilbronn, writing and defending a dissertation for the degree Master of Science in Engineering.

From September 1993 to August 1995 - CAD Designer, August Läpple GmbH + Co KG (Heilbronn, Germany)

From January 1996 to December 1998 - senior technical sales consultant, IBM East Europe / Asia (Moscow)

From December 1998 to May 1999 - Manager, Bruel & Kjaer Sound & Vibration Measurement A/S, (Nærum, Denmark); Moscow Technical Center Bruel & Kjaer (Moscow)

From May 1999 to May 2002 - General Director, Engineering Bureau of Tekhnokad LLC (Togliatti, Samara region)

From June 2002 to December 2004 - chief project engineer, EISENMANN Maschinenbau KG, EISENMANN-Center Russia (Togliatti)

From December 2004 to December 2005 - Director of Production, tractor manufacturing enterprise CJSC Agrotekhmash, within the framework of the Kirov Plant holding (St. Petersburg)

From December 2005 to November 2006 - Development Director, tractor manufacturing enterprise CJSC Agrotekhmash, within the Kirov Plant holding company (St. Petersburg)

From November 2006 to July 2008 - project manager "Creation of production and development of a model range of trolleybuses at Likinsky Bus Plant LLC (LiAZ LLC)

From July 2008 to September 2010 - Director for Strategic Development and Marketing, GAZ Group, Buses Division

In 1994 he graduated from the Faculty of Economics of Moscow State University. M. Lomonosov.

November 1998 - March 2002 - President, member of the Board of Directors, National Forestry Company (NLC)

December 2002 - January 2006 - Deputy General Director of United Machine-Building Plants (OMZ), member of the board of OMZ, Managing Director of the Steel Division, member of the Board of Directors of Izhora Plants, Uralmash, Skoda Steel, Skoda Nuclear Construction

July 2007 - January 2010 - managing partner, GreenLife group of companies (the company owns and manages land in the Moscow, Smolensk and Tula regions, the main activity is land development).

The appointments were made following the results of an open competition announced by OJSC OPK Oboronprom in July of this year.

The competition was held in three stages. At the first stage, candidates were selected from more than 500 submitted resumes. At the second stage, 16 candidates selected from resumes were interviewed by the corporation's management.

In the final stage, 7 candidates defended their UEC development programs in full-time. Of these, three represented the holding’s enterprises, four were third-party candidates. As a result, the commission selected two candidates from seven applicants.

The decision on the appointment was made by the competition commission, which included the heads of OJSC OPK Oboronprom, representatives of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Russian Technologies State Corporation, enterprises of the engineering industry, and experts.

In total, more than a hundred people took part in the design and analytical session, within which the competition was held, - representatives of factories and design bureaus of UEC, JSC Russian Helicopters, as well as leading Russian experts on corporate governance.

According to the General Director of OJSC OPK Oboronprom and OJSC Management Company UEC, Andrey Reus, “the result of the competition was not only the election of a new managing director of the holding and his first deputy, but also the definition of the outlines of a new management system for the corporation. During the design and analytical session in a heated discussion, we received a serious set of ideas, schemes and proposals that the newly appointed company leaders will implement to implement the approved strategy of UEC. Today we are actually opening a new stage in the life of the corporation. We need to, in the coming years, acting coordinatedly and quickly, form a new , an efficient company that is competitive in global markets."

Dmitry Kolodyazhny, vice president for technical development of the United Shipbuilding Corporation, spoke about the state of affairs in the industry, new projects, innovations and promising developments of the FBA Economy Today.

D. Kolodyazhny, Vice President for Technical Development of the United Shipbuilding Corporation

Dmitry Yuryevich, with what results did civil shipbuilding complete 2016?

It can be noted with confidence that the volume of delivery of vessels, both in quantitative terms and in terms of displacement, is steadily increasing - in 2016, USC built 14 and repaired 4 civilian vessels, and in the first half of 2017 plans to commission another 10. Today, enterprises included in the USC, carry out orders for the construction of more than 50 ships. Their range is very extensive. The order line includes an icebreaker of the ARC130 project, linear diesel icebreakers with a capacity of 25 MW and 16 MW, stationary platforms for hydrocarbon production, a river-sea class cruise ship, supply vessels for working with floating semi-submersible drilling rigs, tankers of the RST 27 and RST 25 projects, an air vessel cushion SVP-50, passenger ship A45-2, tugs and cargo pontoons. But I note that the volumes that are currently present in civil shipbuilding do not suit us - they must increase significantly. The goal, which was also stated by USC President Alexei Rakhmanov, is to increase production volumes. So to fulfill all plans, we must learn to pass about 2 million tons of steel annually through the corporation’s shipyards.

What can you say about the quality of Russian shipbuilding products?

Our shipwrights are excellent at welding hulls and making superstructures, installing various mechanisms. However, now the vector in all areas of transport engineering is moving towards digital technologies. If earlier it was possible to call any civilian vessel exaggeratedly “a hull with a motor”, then today, also exaggeratedly, it can be called a floating data center, where one of the main functions for creating such an object is no longer only the function of producing the hull, but also the integration function various systems: propulsion, navigation, rescue and many others. If we are talking about warships, then the function of integration with weapon systems is added to this pair. Network digital technologies and decision-making automation technologies at any level are making big strides into both civil and military shipbuilding. This is no longer tomorrow, this is today's shipbuilding.

Do you use innovative technologies?

Yes, this is one of our development vectors laid down in the USC Technical Policy. This document strengthens and complements the corporation's competitive advantages. For example, the technical policy includes the key program “100% digital”. It introduces the ideology of priority of 3D models at all stages of the life cycle - from design, construction to ship recycling. The 3D model includes a certain set of additional data.

This is not only geometry, but also a volumetric block of data that replaces the usual drawing and carries information about the material, processing technology and a whole range of other data. The use of a 3D model in a unified information environment allows us to dramatically reduce the costs of pre-production and design and, thus, makes it possible to increase competitiveness through a flexible approach to the design and layout of vessels, which we, in turn, can quickly offer to the client. Today, the introduction of 3D technologies makes it possible to simulate the assembly process virtually, and in the future achieve high precision joining of large saturated blocks with an error of no more than a millimeter.

It is interesting to know whether an updated information and reference database has appeared in Russian shipbuilding or do you use reference books from the times of the USSR?

Right now, USC is quickly creating a unified information environment in which our design bureaus and factories are beginning to communicate. It will allow the legal exchange of data between subsidiaries and affiliates. The second project that is being created within the framework of this program is a project of normative and reference information. It will allow everyone in the corporation to “speak the same language.” Directories of equipment, basic technological processes, a directory of normalized products, and so on will be created. All of them will be collected on a separate server and integrated with the main computer systems used in the corporation.

Didn't this exist before everything?

Yes, of course, all this is there, but in this case I focus on the word “single”. Historically, unity as such did not develop. Now we will unify the entire variety of product items, which will ultimately result in lower costs.

Icebreaker Polaris is capable of running on liquefied natural gas or low-sulfur diesel fuel

Can a corporation adapt to a specific customer?

We are able to select technical solutions that will fully satisfy the customer’s needs, for example, for a propulsion system. To do this, we are now forming an optimal model range in this direction, consisting of an engine, gearbox or generator, and so on. Then, as if from a designer’s cubes, ready-made, technically and economically calculated proposals for the consumer are put together, and he then makes his further choice.

In some ways this process is similar to choosing a car...

Yes, that is right. This is a kind of analogue of a car dealership where you come to buy a car, and they offer you not a unique engine of its kind, but five ready-made, proven modifications. A similar ideology will be laid in our country. The “100% Digital” project implies a certain methodological part. Now standards are being laid, requirements for mathematical models, for their creation, transmission, storage, and so on. This will allow us to use a mathematical model developed in one design bureau for work in any other design bureau, or for preparing production at any of our shipyards. The second advantage this project brings is the opportunity to work in cooperation.

Are you talking about USC's second technical policy program?

Absolutely right. The second program of USC's technical policy sounds like “Cooperative construction in large, saturated blocks exactly to size.” Large-block construction makes it possible to more efficiently use the most expensive element of any shipyard - either a dock or a slipway slab, which is intended not for small assembly and saturation of ships and vessels, but for final assembly and launching of the object. Again, the analogy with a car assembly line. Of course, you can solder an instrument panel or a central computer on it, but no one does this, since the conveyor is the most expensive thing in an automobile enterprise, and it must produce cars, so assembly in large blocks takes place on it. The same is true in shipbuilding. The ideology that we lay down for the future construction of ships and vessels is large-block construction: blocks are created into which equipment, pipeline lines, and cable systems are installed. In this form they are delivered to final assembly or to cooperative enterprises.

How much time does it take to build one ship? And is it possible to reduce the time frame?

If we consider the time scale of ship construction, then cutting metal for an object alone can take up to six months. We understand that we have absolutely similar capacities for cutting, cleaning, and priming metal at shipyards located not far from each other. Therefore, it is possible to distribute the volume of work between shipyards and perform a technological operation using not one, but two or three shipyards, thereby reducing production time by a factor of several. Cooperation is possible both at the level of operations, parts, components, and at the level of large saturated blocks. To achieve this, today unified requirements for design in large blocks are being developed, and unified standards are being laid in the field of lifting equipment and transport infrastructure.

The use of non-contact measurement systems based on laser radars and laser trackers also helps speed up the production process. The third direction of USC's technical policy, Sudometrics, is devoted to this topic. It allows you to take a qualitative step forward - to move away from time-consuming fitting operations. Now contactless measurements are being actively implemented in military and civil shipbuilding. Our domestic companies can already produce the necessary equipment, but for now they are integrating domestic and imported components into ready-made technological solutions. There is a certain problem here, what is considered “Made in Russia”. After what number of internal assembly operations or the number of domestic parts a product becomes Russian - this has not yet been fully determined. But work is underway.

Polaris icebreaker hull

How does USC implement the import substitution program?

For example, in terms of technology, the process of import substitution in the field of welding equipment and welding technologies is actively moving. And welding is the main technology for us, although not the only one. Composite shipbuilding is gaining momentum - now many small-displacement ships are almost entirely made of composites. It is obvious that composite shipbuilding technologies will gradually displace traditional ones, moving from small to large displacement and “conquering” more and more new positions in the field of ship engineering. As you know, on December 9 in St. Petersburg we delivered a fully composite minesweeper. Also in the Northern capital, corvettes with a composite superstructure are made.

What else, besides composite materials, is already produced in Russia?

Very good domestic metal-cutting machines have appeared. Russian enterprises create high-quality equipment and technologies for our industry: communication lines, fire protection systems, painting technologies, coating technologies, etc. To introduce innovative proposals, we study what interests us in a particular area and form a “request for innovation.” For example, USC is interested in new design methods, new grades of steels and composites that work in extreme conditions of low temperatures. We combine these requests into structured lists and use them as proposals for cooperation. There are two scientific and technical councils within the USC: one is our internal one, and the other is a joint body created on the basis of the USC and the Krylov State Scientific Center (KGSC). KGSC is a unique industry research center with unique developments and testing facilities. For example, there are huge test pools there, including even an ice pool. Both scientific and technical councils meet regularly, making technical and technological decisions important for the industry. Now we plan to involve universities in this work on innovative projects.

Are there many higher educational institutions preparing personnel for shipbuilding?

In shipbuilding, the key specialized university is the St. Petersburg State Marine Technical University (“Korabelka”), where personnel are trained in almost all shipbuilding specialties. Universities in Sevastopol, Arkhangelsk and other cities have faculties and departments that also train specialists for our industry.

Please tell us about new high-tech projects.

Since we have touched on the topic of universities, I will focus on the Pioneer-M project. We are implementing this project together with the Agency for Strategic Initiatives (ASI) and the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia on the basis of Sevastopol State University. It is important to talk about it just on the eve of the Year of Ecology. We are talking about a full-fledged multidisciplinary research vessel, which has in its design all the main modules that make it possible to carry out multi-day expeditions with a high level of living comfort for the ship’s crew and scientists. "Pioneer-M" is a unique scientific base with a modular or, more precisely, container principle for placing research equipment. One container with equipment can be a biological laboratory, another can be an underwater robotics laboratory, a third can have geological equipment, a fourth can be equipped for the tasks of underwater archaeologists, and so on. For the university, such a vessel is a real help not only in the field of training shipbuilding personnel, but also in the field of scientific work in other areas. Many new ideas and technologies will be developed on the basis of Pioneer-M, for example, the technology for using renewable energy sources and some modules that provide unmanned control. Such projects are interesting and useful both for scientists and students, and for shipbuilders.

At what stage of development is this project?

The preliminary design has now been approved. Work is underway on the technical design of the R/V Pioneer-M. Now it is necessary to carefully check the results of students' work. Very experienced specialists from our Sevastopol design bureau “Coral” were involved in the work. After careful development and passing the necessary technical examinations, its implementation in metal will begin. In mid-2018, the ship should be fully ready for the first research activities.

"Pioneer-M" is a unique scientific base with a modular principle of placing research equipment

Are there other projects being implemented by USC with universities, besides Pioneer-M?

There are interesting technological projects, and if we talk about product projects, then, for example, in St. Petersburg, together with Korabelka, a concept called “EcoBot” is being discussed. This is an idea to create a completely environmentally friendly ship platform, on the basis of which ships for walking along rivers and canals in St. Petersburg, a river taxi, and many other interesting projects can be developed and created in the future. I believe that the university will be able to use such a platform both as a scientific and technical base and as a business project.

2017 in Russia has been declared the year of ecology. Are there any environmentally friendly ships in Russia?

USC shipyards are capable of building environmentally friendly ships today. Moreover, such vessels are successfully built and launched. For example, in September 2016, Arctech Helsinki Shipyard (a Finnish asset of USC) supplied the Finnish transport agency with an icebreaker Polaris, which can run on liquefied natural gas or low-sulfur diesel fuel. Let me also remind you about the project of ice-resistant jack-up platform No. 1 for the field named after. Filanovsky - technologically it is built on the principle of zero discharge, that is, it does not pollute the ecosystem of the surrounding water and air oceans. I would like to emphasize that in 2017, the year of ecology in Russia, USC plans to develop and adopt a new corporate environmental program.

What are the main trends in modern shipbuilding?

— In my opinion, there are several main trends aimed at the development of shipbuilding, which, by and large, will transform the entire industry as a whole. These are reflected in our Technical Strategy. First of all, this is an increase in the specific deadweight of ships and vessels. In simple terms, this means that the ship must carry payloads, and not itself. Secondly, it is an increase in the fuel efficiency of ships and vessels - to carry more payloads and less fuel. And thirdly, these are operational characteristics - reducing the cost of owning ships and vessels throughout their entire life cycle, safety of navigation, and environmental friendliness.

To follow these trends in the civil sphere, we have launched a serious transformation project "" in St. Petersburg. This will make it possible to produce larger vessels.

- From one hundred thousand tons of displacement or more?

- Much higher. The main thing here is to be able to navigate the ship through the depths of the sea channel. The peculiarity of the project is that it is initially focused on cooperative construction in large integrated blocks exactly to size. We will build not only larger sizes, but also several times faster.

— Nowadays there is a great demand for reducing the cost of owning a vessel, as you mentioned. How do we solve this problem?

— The cost-effectiveness of owning ships and vessels throughout their entire life cycle, from design, construction, operation, modernization and ending with disposal, is one of the main development trends. The “100% Digital” program is aimed at reducing the cost of ship design while simultaneously increasing the quality of projects.

We plan to reduce the cost of construction through the use of the latest shipbuilding technologies: precision cutting, hybrid laser-arc welding, shipmetrics, complete premises, cooperative construction of large integrated blocks exactly to size and much more.

Operating costs decrease as fuel efficiency improves. It primarily and very significantly increases with an optimal course taking into account wind, wave, and ice loads. To do this, projects must include appropriate sensors, the use of space monitoring and GPS data, and computing power for processing big data. The use of electric propulsion will give a lot. I really hope for closed-cycle nuclear technologies. We simply have to put them on ships and take them out into the world's oceans.

A small crew, and then complete unmanned ships, is inevitable. In the future it will provide an option to opt out of the add-on, but there is still a lot of work to be done.

Large-block construction from standardized sections and assemblies simplifies subsequent modernization work: the old block was cut out and a new block was inserted. “100% digital” ensures full compliance of the real vessel and its mathematical model throughout its entire life cycle. This means that the ship will be decommissioned with a full set of specifications for salvageable and recoverable materials.

— So today computerization of navigation is becoming an increasingly pronounced trend in domestic shipbuilding?

— The vessel, and even more so the ship, is already a floating data center. All systems are coherent, integrated and must be repairable or easily replaceable in the future. Computer technology is being updated at a much higher rate than classical mechanical systems. Projects should be created according to the principle of “open architecture”, modular solutions should be laid down that allow one or another modernization of ships “without autogen” to be carried out at a minimum cost and in the shortest possible time.

— What can you say about the safety of navigation in modern conditions?

— Today there is a movement towards artificial intelligence systems and decision-making systems based on the ship’s own sensor systems, as well as processing large volumes of space monitoring data.

— How are we doing with unmanned and unmanned systems?

- Things are going well. Especially in relation to ships. As for ships, USC has an interesting project - Pioneer-M. This is a small research vessel for the Sevastopol University. In this project, small-crew and unmanned technologies are being developed: a coastal navigation control center, an automated berth wall, and other solutions will be created that will allow the vessel to be operated in unmanned, small-crew and full-crew versions. This will allow us to obtain the know-how that we will use more and more widely in the future.

— It turns out that you have already abandoned paper drawings in the field of shipbuilding?

- Alas. Not yet. Currently, the Corporation, within the framework of the “100% Digital” program, is implementing a project to create a “single information design and production space.” The implementation is going well. We plan to get significantly closer to a “paperless” coast.

On this path, it would be very helpful for us to order and accept design, working, operational and service documentation exclusively in electronic form.

— And yet USC is still often called a metal welding corporation, isn’t it?

Yes. For now, that's it. Welding accounts for about 60% of the labor intensity of ship construction. We are working to increase productivity on these operations by an order of magnitude. We have projects underway on hybrid laser-arc welding, robotics, and sudometrics. The sum of technologies will give us a breakthrough result. The goal is to move to a technological accuracy of +/- 1 mm. When I say this, many look at me with doubt, but this is necessary for cooperative construction and is quite possible.

- Well, today you are not taking measurements with a ruler or a caliper, I suppose?

— The Corporation is equipped with modern laser metrology tools (scanners, trackers, total stations) for 25% of the requirements, and the rest, alas, is just your list for now. The Sudometrics project is aimed at correcting this situation. It ensures the achievement of the declared technological accuracy and allows you to completely avoid fitting operations.

— As they said before, adjust it to the location.

- Yes. Exactly. Two huge blocks are finished with a file. Now we are moving away from this.

If you buy a bolt from one store and a nut from another, they will fit together without any problems. This is the goal of our Technical Strategy for blocks weighing up to 1800 tons.

— Do you use additive technologies?

— We are faced with the task of developing competence - marine engineering. The technologies of our specialized university - St. Petersburg "Korabelka" (SPbGMTU - "Gazeta.Ru") - allow us to make complex parts of any size about 10 times faster and about five times cheaper. Of course, we are interested in this, and we are introducing this technology. And the use of bionic design also allows you to reduce the weight several times.

— Why bionic?

— Because there are analogues in nature. Let's say the beak of a woodpecker or some human bones, which, on the one hand, have a porous structure, but at the same time have quite powerful strength characteristics. Accordingly, by creating, for example, thruster propellers, it is possible, on the one hand, to lighten their weight, and on the other, to calculate the power elements that will be inside, i.e. create a conditionally porous structure with specified mechanical characteristics.

— Nowadays in industry there is a very acute problem of unification of products, especially components. How do you solve this problem?

— Having a huge variety of products, it is quite difficult to automate production processes. Therefore, another project is now being launched - “Ship Engineering”, within the framework of which work on unification will be done.

Let's take a simple flange - a ring and four or six holes for attaching bolts. We consume hundreds of thousands of them. If each flange is unique and differs by at least a millimeter from each other, naturally, the cost of such a flange will be very high.

If we carry out unification, then we will use hundreds of thousands of identical flanges. Having such a quantity, when preparing for production, I will order a cutting die that will cut out six flanges from one sheet at once with one blow. And their cost will be completely different.

— Has anything already been done in this direction?

— For additive matters, we will receive the car next year. Next year we will have the first implementations related to laser-hybrid welding. Sudometrics is already in full swing, our enterprises are equipped with both hardware and software, methodology. The “100% Digital” program is progressing by leaps and bounds. The first ship is scheduled for construction, which will be built from blocks with the cooperation of three shipyards at once.

— What about our ship engines?

— There is a clear program with the United Engine Corporation regarding the model range. We need to have a consistent range of complete solutions. That is, an engine plus a generator or an engine plus a gearbox. And in joint work with this very principle is laid down. We are supplied with complete systems tested on benches, which we install on the ship and connect to pre-installed shaft lines.

— Do you somehow solve environmental problems, which are probably quite relevant in your field of activity?

— I won’t start with ecology, but I’ll gradually move on to it. USC's current business model is based on only two types of contracts or affects two stages of the life cycle. This is the design of ships (vessels) and their construction. Further participation in the repair and modernization component is small today.

What lies before us affects all stages of the life cycle, i.e. design, construction, operation, modernization, disposal. For us, recycling is not just scrapping a ship, but a really serious process.

Everyone knows that many of our facilities (both civilian and military) have a nuclear power plant. And it’s impossible to just throw it away or cut it.

This direction in USC is developing quite actively. Today, all our ships are designed and built according to the “zero discharge” principle. There are also a number of projects aimed at restoring the environment.

— What can you say about the vectors of shipbuilding development in the near future?

— I would like to say that the sum of technologies included in the “Technical Strategy” of the corporation: “100% digital”, “Sudometrics”, “Laser industrial technologies”, “Robotics”, “Cooperative large-block construction with integrated blocks” will provide, in my opinion, in the relatively near future, a higher technological level of shipbuilding than, for example, in South Korea.

Sensors, big data, artificial intelligence, hydrogen and nuclear power plants, electric propulsion, new grades of steel (for example, nitrogen), unmanned ships, hydrodynamics of the hull and propeller, “eternal” anti-corrosion coatings - this is USC’s promising order for fundamental and applied science.

Imported Russian software products, Russian technologies, Russian equipment, Russian materials - this is our order for business.