Ukrainian Danube Shipping Company has built another large-capacity SLG barge, using old lighter vessels (small 40-meter barges). The first SLG barge was set afloat in late 2023.
The relevant statement was made by the Ukrainian Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development Ministry on Facebook.
“In 2023, the team of Ukrainian Danube Shipping Company, for the first time in a long time, started the construction of non-self-propelled fleet. More than 80 lighters remained on the company’s balance sheet. Some of them are rented out as the so-called ‘spacers’ between ships and the berth. But mostly they are rotting, pulling funds from the company for an anchorage fee, emergency repairs, etc. The use of lighters as donors to create new SLG vessels enables us to systematically upgrade the river fleet even amid the war. At the same time, the production cost of SLG barges is much lower than building a vessel from scratch,” Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration and Minister for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development Oleksandr Kubrakov noted.
In his words, all construction works take place in Ukraine, creating new jobs and having a positive effect on the region’s economy and the development of inland waterways. It is also important with regard to logistics and grain exports.
Kubrakov mentioned that barge construction works were carried out at the expense of Ukrainian Danube Shipping Company, without involving public funds.
The upgraded SLG barge has a dead weight of 2,200 tons, a length of 76.5 meters, and a drought of 3.1 meters. The construction involved the use of 40-meter lighter vessels, which were standing idle for economic inexpediency reasons or served for other purposes. (Ukrinform/Business World Magazine)