Prime Shipping operates a modern fleet of 30 vessels, built according to international standards ISO/TC 8. The fleet of the Company is the youngest river fleet among the Russian carriers.
The new vessels construction throughout the period from 2009 to 2012 contributed to a significant renewal of the existing fleet operated in the Volga and Don basin of the inland waterways of the Russian Federation and brought the company to a new competitive position.
Most of the tanker fleet of Prime Shipping was built throughout the period from 2009 to 2012 at the Chinese shipyards Yangzhou Haichuan Shipyard Co. and Yangzhou Kejin Shipyard Co.
These are advanced technology chemical tankers. The vessels have a special tanks coating and are equipped with tanks cleaning systems.
In summer a part of the tankers carrying light oil products are prepared for the transportation of vegetable oils.
The company's tanker fleet also includes vessels built at the Kostroma shipyard and the Nizhny Novgorod yard “Krasnoe Sormovo”.
Barge transportation of oil products is carried out by tugs built at Leningrad shipyard "Pella". Oil barges used for oil transportation were constructed at the Kostroma shipbuilding yard.
In 2009 the barge-tug trains of Prime Shipping were reequipped with auto-coupling devices of dovetail type made in Japan. Substitution of flexible coupling allowed the company to get serious competitive advantages:
— increased crew safety (reduced number and duration of complex technological operations);
— reduced the downtime of vessels by 2-4 hours (no more need to re-coupling of tugs and barges);
— the average speed of vessels has increased (8-9 knots instead of 4-5 knots).
