Klavesin-2R-PM to be Tested in Black Sea

Klavesin-2R-PM autonomous unmanned undersea vehicle
[courtesy: TASS]

Rubin Central Design Bureau of Marine Technology recently secured an insurance policy with SOGAZ (Gas Industry Insurance Company) to cover the loss of or damage to two Klavesin-2R-PM autonomous unmanned undersea vehicles, each worth RUB 300 million.

The first attempt to secure insurance began on February 10. Rubin announced it was accepting bids to insure the two vehicles during testing in St. Petersburg, in Crimea, and in the Black Sea, as well as for transportation between the locations. The insurance premiums (RUB 48 million) were unequally divided between the two vehicles: RUB 27 million for one (in 2016), RUB 21 million for the other (in 2017). Each vehicle being covered includes a load-bearing frame, propulsion system, containers with equipment and batteries, and other related components. The technical specifications provided for the Klavesin-2R-PM were:

• length: approximately 6,500 mm
• diameter: approximately 1,000 mm
• weight: approximately 3,700 kg
• maximum range: approximately 50 km
• diving depth: approximately 2,000 m (due to the depth in the Black Sea test range, the diving depth will be 500 m)

Despite the fact that two companies bid on the contract (Ingosstrakh and SOGAZ), the competitive process was unexplainably stopped on March 4.

A second attempt began March 23. In the version of the documents published for this round, the vehicle's technical specifications were moved from the main contract document to an annex, which was not published. On April 6, the contract selection committee announced that the competitive process was nullified as only a single company (SOGAZ) had bid on the contract.

The third and final attempt began on April 6 with no changes made to the contract documentation. On April 21, after reviewing bids from two companies (MAKS and SOGAZ), the contract selection committee chose SOGAZ; the contract was signed on May 4. A few weeks later, SOGAZ released a statement on its website confirming that it had won the contract.

Tracking "Ametist"

Tracking "Ametist" along the inland waterway system, May-June 2015

In 2012, Almaz Shipyard (St Petersburg) was awarded a contract for the construction of the shipyard's fifth Rubin-class (Project 22460) patrol ship "Ametist". The unit rolled out of the shipyard in March 2014, and began sea trials in August. The ship was officially handed over the Russian Coast Guard in October and transferred to Kronshtadt, where it remained until May of this year.

"Ametist" could not transfer to the Black Sea in late 2014 as the inland waterway system would close during its transit, forcing it to winter somewhere along its journey. This is exactly what happened to "Izumrud" the year before: it departed St. Petersburg on October 4, 2014, arrived in Volgograd on December 1, and eventually transferred to the Caspian Sea to winter over. It remained there until resuming its transit on April 7 and arriving in Balaklava on May 1, making this a 210-day transfer.

So, how long does it take to transfer from St. Petersburg to Balaklava during the summer? The below chart and Google Earth plots depict the ship's transit along the Neva, Volga, and Don Rivers during its May 12-June 30 (50-day) transit.

May 12	Day 1	St. Petersburg
May 13	Day 2	Svir River Entrance Buoy
May 14	Day 3	Upper Svir River Lock
May 15	Day 4	Vytegra Lock
May 16	Day 5	Kovzha River Estuary
May 21	Day 10	Yaroslavl
May 22	Day 11	Gorodets
May 23	Day 12	Nizhniy Novgorod
May 25	Day 14	Novocheboksarsk
May 26	Day 15	Kazan
May 28	Day 17	Tolyatti
May 30	Day 19	Balakovo
June 7	Day 27	Saratov
June 11	Day 31	Volga-Don Canal Lock 1
June 12	Day 32	Volga-Don Canal Lock 11
June 14	Day 34	Nikolayevskaya Hydroelectric Plant
June 16	Day 36	Koluzayevo
June 30	Day 50	Balaklava

"Ametist" arriving in Balaklava - June 30, 2015