Page 19 - Журнал Sozvezdye Review - «СОЗВЕЗДИЕ» #39

The first international customers to order from
Zvyozdochka were the Finnish shipyards specializ-
ing on cruise ships. Subsequently, deliveries started
to be made to more than twenty countries around
the world. The propellers designed and engineered by
Zvyozdochka are installed on more than two hundred
foreign vessels – dry cargo carriers, cruise liners, ice-
breakers, supply ships. Since its establishment, Zvyoz-
dochka has produced more than 23,000 propellers for
Russian and foreign customers.

Arctic competencies
The year 2010 saw Zvyozdochka start the Center
for Propulsion Systems (CPS), a division specializing
on design, production and maintenance of propulsion
systems and active control units. In 2016, Zvyozdoch-
ka started a workshop for the assembly and testing of
propulsion and steering columns (PSC) and thrust-
ers. Its second-phase facilities are designed to produce
high-capacity adjustable-pitch propellers.
CPS’s core activity is engineering of Arctic ice-re-
inforced propulsion systems (maximum highest class
being Icebreaker 9). Thanks to its team’s high level of
competence and vast experience, CPS is placed with
some of the most sophisticated orders. Its R&D engi-
neers are currently working on a propulsive installa-
tion project with four shaft lines, ordered for the Proj-
ect 10510 icebreaker Leader, which is going to be the
most powerful Arctic-going vessel ever built. Notably,
Zvyozdochka-built propellers are installed on the ma- with many years of experience in manufacturing ad-
jority of Russian and Soviet icebreakers. The recently justable pitch propellers, water-jets, backup propellers
built ships with propellers by Zvyozdochka include and thrusters for the Navy. With a pool of engineer-
LNG tankers that are designed to operate along the ing and production capabilities, Zvyozdochka stands
Northern Sea Route to service Yamal LNG project. as the United Shipbuilding Corporation’s core source
The Center for Propulsion Systems is working to of competence in propellers and propulsion systems
put its propulsion and steering columns and thrust- engineering and maintenance.
ers into serial production. Its engineers have delivered
propulsion and steering columns to seven ships and New time
thrusters to eight. A total of 28 systems were deliv-
ered to customers, most of which are already in op- The period from the end of February 2022 to pres-
eration, installed on Arctic ships. Underway are two ent has seen some significant changes on the Russian
3 MW Ice3 propulsion and steering columns and two marine equipment market. Given the current foreign
4.5 MW ones. The steering systems’ capacity ranges policy consideration, the Western suppliers of propul-
from 2 MW to 9 MW. sion systems have curtailed their activities in the Rus-
In 2019, Zvyozdochka Ship Repair Center landed sian Federation, leaving many ships under construc-
the national award in import substitution category tion without components and those delivered without
“Prioritet – 2019” for engineering the 4.5 MW pro- adequate service, spare parts, tools and accessories.
pulsion and steering column DRK4500N, which also With such competent propulsion supplier as CPS, the
made the list of Top 100 Russian Products. Russian customers can avoid further dependence on
Zvyozdochka Center for Propulsion Systems op- imported supplies, service and spare parts.
erates full-cycle product management from design to Today, Zvyozdochka Center for Propulsion Sys-
after-sales service, fully meeting the criteria of Gov- tems stands not just as a feasible alternative to im-
ernment Decree N 719 “On Verification of Origin of ported propulsion systems, but rather a worthy re-
Industrial Products Manufactured in the Territory of placement. The same is true about high-capacity,
the Russian Federation”. This makes Zvyozdochka- ice-reinforced propulsion and steering columns for
built equipment suitable for use in any ship project operation in the Arctic Zone. The most frequently or-
which is subject to ‘domestically produced technol- dered PSCs are those with capacity between 2.5 MW propulsion.center
ogy requirement’. and 9 MW. While earlier, domestic customers pre- star.ru
Zvyozdochka earned its reputation as a compe- ferred to order PSCs of this capacity range from for- propeller@star.ru
tent supplier also thanks to years-long servicing of eign suppliers, in the new reality their only domestic marketingcps@star.ru
the Russian Navy. The technologies designed and en- source of ready-made commercial designs, developed propulsion.center
gineered by Severodvinsk-based shipbuilders – in- as part of R&D projects in cooperation with the Min-
cluding propellers and propulsion systems – are suc- istry of Commerce and Industry, is Severodvinsk-
cessfully operated onboard the surface ships and based Zvyozdochka. Its Center of Propulsion Tech-
submarines ensuring national defense and security. nologies is working to develop its competencies by SOZVEZDYE #39
Zvyozdochka Center for Propulsion Systems owes engineering full line of thrusters and PSCs of differ-
its ‘arctic’ competences partly to its geographical lo- ent capacity and ice reinforcement, including for ice-
cation. Located on the White Sea coast, 40 kilometers breaking fleet. технологии
from Arkhangelsk, in close proximity to one of the Some design bureaus, shipyards and shipowners
key Arctic ports, Zvyozdochka provides convenient choose to buy from Chinese manufacturers, the lat- technologies
logistics and timely service to facilities that operate ter trying actively to break into the Russian market by
in the northern latitudes. offering PSCs at lower prices. It is certainly up to cus-
CPS maintains close cooperation with its mother tomers what to buy and where, but there’s a common
company’s two subsidiaries, Vint (Moscow) and ex- adage – and many have already learned its mean-
perimental facility Vega (Borovsk) – the companies ing – that “A miser pays twice.” 17