Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 14
By Aygun Badalova - Trend:
Turkmenistan's new ferry, Berkarar, designed to carry passengers, as well as trucks and other vehicles, is to make a voyage to Baku, the Turkmen Embassy in Azerbaijan said Jan. 14.
The ferry of the ROPAX (roll-on/roll-off passenger ship) class arrived in Turkmenistan in early December 2014.
Turkmenistan's President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov reviewed the vessel. Berkarar sports high-quality equipment, fully meeting the highest standards, including environmental security, which receives special attention from the President.
Everything on Berkarar is designed so that the ferry, besides its high quality, speed and manoeuvrability, is able to carry out long sea voyages.
The ferry has two 4-stroke engines with a capacity of 3060 kW each, allowing the vessel to accelerate its speed to 17.6 knots.
Berkarar can also travel 1,800 nautical miles, its draft level is 4.35 meters and deadweight (i.e., maximum load-carrying ability) is 2,400 metric tons.
The ferry impresses with its dimensions; it has a length of 155.8 meters, width of 17.5 meters, and height of 12.2 meters.
Berkarar's capabilities will help to significantly save time spent on transportation of goods by motor transport from Europe to Central Asia, the Middle and Far East, and will significantly increase the volume of trade.
A second similar ship of the ROPAX class, called Bagtyyar, was also built by an order from Turkmenistan at the shipyards of the Croatian town of Pula, and was launched in June 2014.
It is scheduled to arrive at home port in 2015.
Batgyyar will be the sixteenth modern vessel to enter Turkmenistan in the last five years.
Edited by CN
---
Follow the author on Twitter @AygunBadalova