Ships and business: the Maritime Board discussed new technologies for creating modern ships

A meeting of the Scientific and expert Council of the Russian Maritime Collegium was held in St. Petersburg, which was devoted to the development of promising technologies and new materials in shipbuilding. The head of the board, Nikolai Patrushev, noted that in the current geopolitical situation, innovation is becoming the main priority in the development of the industry. Separately, the meeting discussed the need to develop a network of climate testing centers for new alloys, composites and assemblies in the country in real conditions. Mikhail Kovalchuk, Chairman of the Scientific Expert Council of the Collegium, stressed that Russia's current technological successes were made possible thanks to the foundation laid by Soviet scientists. Their developments have fully revealed their potential in space, now it's time to use this reserve in shipbuilding.

Scientific and Expert Council of the Marine Collegium

On January 22, the Prometheus Research Institute of Structural Materials in St. Petersburg hosted a meeting of the Scientific and expert Council of the Russian Maritime Board, the main topic of which was the development of promising technologies and materials for ship construction, as well as the creation of a national network of climate testing centers for new alloys, composites and structures.

Opening the event, Nikolai Patrushev, Assistant to the President of Russia, Chairman of the Board, noted that today various automatic systems, autonomous robots, immersive methods of designing ships and creating their digital counterparts, and modular construction technologies are increasingly being used in the global shipbuilding industry. Eco-friendly "green" vessels and new materials that increase energy efficiency and service life of marine equipment are becoming more common.

— Due to the changing geopolitical situation, the Russian shipbuilding industry has faced a number of new challenges, including the need to build up its own competencies in fleet construction and with the suspension of supplies of critical materials. Therefore, their development and implementation is a key priority for the development of the Russian shipbuilding industry," said Nikolai Patrushev.

To solve these problems, it is necessary to form and increase the scientific and technical reserve, to improve the technical and economic characteristics of domestic shipbuilding materials used in the construction of ships. It is also necessary to focus efforts on developing cooperation between design and engineering organizations, suppliers of alloys and composites, shipbuilding and ship repair enterprises, the head of the Maritime Board added.

New Materials Testing centers

Nikolai Patrushev also noted the importance of testing new materials, coatings, assemblies and electronic components at different temperatures, humidity, salinity and other climatic conditions.

— Today, there are several climate testing centers in Russia that use both on-site sites (for example, in Gelendzhik, Maly Utrish) and climate chambers to simulate various conditions, including tropical and polar conditions. The development of these centers should be aimed at creating a modern infrastructure for testing, including equipping the centers with modern equipment and creating new laboratories," he said.

According to Mikhail Kovalchuk, Chairman of the Scientific Expert Council of the Maritime Collegium, Deputy Chairman of the Collegium, President of the Kurchatov Institute, who held the meeting, it is thanks to the Central Research Institute Prometheus, which provided the venue for the event, that Russia has its own icebreakers, submarines, gas pipelines and much more.

— Today we have Burevestnik and Poseidon only because then, almost 80 years ago, academicians Kurchatov, Korolev and Keldysh started this work, — said Mikhail Kovalchuk.

At the same time, the materials and technologies created during the Soviet period have found much greater development and application in space than in shipbuilding and the navy. The task of today is to eliminate this gap, he concluded.