UDS tug Mykolaiv has returned to work

The “three-thousandth” tugboat of the Ukrainian Danube Shipping Company “Mykolaiv” (previous name – “Kuzma Galkin”) has returned to work.

The vessel left for Smederevo (Serbia) with a caravan of eight units (cargo of 12.5 thousand tons of agglomerated ore), the UDS reported.

“Mykolaiv” is the most powerful pusher tug in the UDS. The shipping industry has eight such vessels, five of which have been idle for more than 15 years. Only the vessels “Kuzma Galkin”, “Nina Sosnina” (new name – “Cherkasy”) and “Nikifor Sholudenko” (“Odesa”) are in operation, which have been under repair for a long time.

Previously, in winter, the tug “Mykolaiv” was used as an icebreaker in case of ice conditions. But, since severe and prolonged frosts were not predicted, they decided to return the ship to the line. The presence of three main engines makes the vessel more powerful and makes it possible to push heavy caravans from 9 barges. That is, one and a half times more cargo than usual is delivered in one flight.

The tugs “Nina Sosnina” and “Nykyfor Sholudenko” are still undergoing repairs. The vessels stopped working even during the time of the previous leadership of the UDS — there were allegedly no funds for their restoration.