In Uljanik on the 15th June Hull No. 499 – “Balaken”, constructed by ULJANIK Shipyard for the company Azerbaijan State Caspian Shipping Company from the Republic of Azerbaijan, was launched from slipway no. 1.
This ship has been constructed for the transport of 54 wagons and has a deadweight 5000 tonnes, length 154.80 m and width 17.5 meters, with a speed of 14.5 knots achieved by two Uljanik MAN B&W engines, each one generating a power of 2000 kW at 250 rpm.
The ship was released into the sea by the traditional cutting of the rope by Mrs. Latifa Zeynalova, employee of the aforesaid company. The President of the company Azerbaijan State Caspian Shipping Company, Mr Aydin Bashirov with his closest collaborators and the President of the Board of Directors of ULJANIK Group, Mr. Anton Brajković, were all present at the launching ceremony.
At the beginning of the ceremony, Mr. Marinko Brgić, President of the Management Board of ULJANIK Shipyard, addressed the guests present with a welcoming speech and emphasized among other things that the shipyard is doing efforts to achieve the contracted terms/meet the contracted terms so that the ships would reach the Caspian see before rivers and channels freeze. At the same times the shipyard does not neglect the quality of the ships, therefore I am convinced that our business partners and friends will receive good quality ships within the contracted terms, something they are already used to since starting the collaboration with Uljanik, was concluded by Brgić.
I hope and believe that such business collaboration, achieved business relationship, new and more efficient ships, as well as the expansion of developing activities in the Caspian sea, would represent a strong foundation for the further continuity of our common future which shall be realized through new contracts and new ships, was concluded at the end by Brgić who at the end congratulated all of Uljanik’s worker’s and collaborators for the construction of this beautiful and high quality ship.
The president of the Azerbeijan State Caspian Shipping Company, Mr. Aydin Bashirov, pointed out the fact that Uljanik’s shipbuilders nearly three decades ago, in the period between 1984 and 1986, constructed and commissioned to Caspian shippers eight steam ferries - ships for the transportation of steel wagons. The current collaboration was pursued mainly thanks to the efforts of the esteemed President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Ilham Alijev, who is whole-heartedly helping the shipping company in the process of renewal of the Caspian fleet.
Mr Bashirow thanked everybody who took part in the project and he expressed his belief that the ships will be delivered in time, it was concluded at the end by Mr. Bashirov.
This was the fourth launching in Uljanik. The contracts for the construction of newbuildings 498 and 499 were signed in May 2011, while the delivery of the first ship is scheduled for the end of summer of this current year.