ST.PETERSBURG. May 15 (Interfax-AVN) - The Baltiysky Zavod shipyard based in St. Petersburg has manufactured nine main ship boilers for India's Vikramaditya aircraft carrier (formerly Admiral Gorshkov), the shipyard's press service reported on Monday.
The first boiler was manufactured back in May 2005. It is assembled at the test bench and will be used as a simulator for teaching the ship's crew the basics of power plant repairs and servicing. In the future, the boiler prototype will be shipped to a personnel training base in India. The remaining eight boilers will be installed in the aircraft carrier that is being modernized by the Sevmashpredpriyatiye shipyard in Severodvinsk.
The boilers run on diesel fuel, not black oil, which makes the power plant more economical and increases its efficiency. Heat exchange tubes for the boilers are made of corrosion-resistant steel, which ensures their durability and longevity.
In accordance with Indian requirements, Baltiysky Zavod used non-asbestos insulation while making the boilers. Material on the basis of mineral fiber is environment-friendly and safe for the aircraft carrier crew.
The report quotes the shipyard's economics director Oleg Kostikov as saying that Baltiysky Zavod will earn $22 million from executing other machine-building orders in 2006. The figure may grow to $25 million in 2007, he said.
Baltiysky Zavod and Sevmashpredpriyatiye signed a contract worth $20 million for manufacturing boilers for the Indian ships.
Baltiysky Zavod is one of Russia's largest multi-profile shipyards manufacturing the ships with a deadweight of up to 100,000 tonnes. The shipyard's largest projects are the Pyotr Veliky nuclear-powered cruiser, Arktika and 50 Let Pobedy nuclear-powered icebreakers, and a series of frigates for the Indian Navy.
Baltiysky Zavod's stock of orders for the period until 2009 amounts to over $600 million.