The British Royal Society RINA has included the head Caspian ferry of the CNF18C project "Azerbaijan" in Significant Ships of 2021

The British Royal Society of Naval Architects (RINA - Royal Institution of Naval Architects) has published a list and descriptions of the best ships of 2021 (Significant Ships of 2021).

Among the fifty ships of various purposes, types and sizes (from sea cruise liners and ferries to supertankers, container ships and car carriers), selected by the oldest world community of shipbuilders, was included the cargo-passenger ferry of the CNF18C project "Azerbaijan", designed by the Marine Engineering Bureau, built by the Baku Shipyard (General Director Imanverdy Khasanov) for Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company CJSC (ASCO, Chairman Rauf Veliyev).

According to the conditions adopted in RINA, experts study only the lead (for each shipyard) vessels put into operation last year.

The lead 155-meter railway ferry of the "Ro-Pax" type for the Caspian Sea of the CNF18C project "Azerbaijan" was put into operation on March 1, 2021.

The ceremony of handing over the new flagship of the Azerbaijan Caspian Shipping Company was attended by President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva.

The new "open" type ferry of the CNF18C project is designed to carry 100 passengers, 56 wagons with a gauge of 1520 mm, trucks (50 road trains), including dangerous goods, with a stern cargo handling scheme for wagons and cars and with an onboard ramp for loading and unloading vehicles to regular berths.

The vessel of the CNF18C project transports dangerous goods on the open upper deck in accordance with the provisions of the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code (RID Code) and the national Rules for the Maritime Transportation of Dangerous Goods (RID Rules).

Advantages of the new ferry of the CNF18C project compared to the existing ones:

  1. total capacity for railway wagons of T-1 gauge with a length between auto couplers of 12020 mm - 56 wagons (on the existing ones no more than 54);
  2. rails are recessed into the deck;
  3. an open cargo deck speeds up and facilitates the process of loading and unloading operations, and its presence has a positive effect on the safety of navigation;
  4. Availability of an onboard ramp for loading and unloading vehicles to the berths makes it possible to work not only on the usual railway berths, but also on ordinary dry cargo berths of sufficient length;
  5. hold height (5400 mm) allows transporting high wagons in the hold (on existing ferries, the hold height is 5000 mm);
  6. lift length of 25000 mm allows for loading/unloading of railway trains and rolling cargo with a total capacity of 188 tons from the main deck to the lower deck along two tracks, including platforms of type 11-935A 19620 mm long with 3 20-foot containers (on existing ferries, the length of the elevator is 14540 mm, the capacity is 170 tons);
  7. the vessel has space for accommodation and transportation of 100 passengers. The carriage of passengers simultaneously with the carriage of dangerous goods is provided for in accordance with the conditions for the carriage of dangerous goods.