04.07.2024 | Aluminium Association

Modern berthing infrastructure made of aluminium alloys can be fully manufactured in Russia. Viktor Ivanenko, Head of the Shipbuilding Department of the Aluminium Association, noted this during the 'Berths of Russia 2024^ Design, Construction, Reconstruction' conference, held in Saint Petersburg. The event was attended by representatives of the leading companies in the field of building and maintaining berthing infrastructure in the Russian Federation.

In Russia, the production of berthing infrastructure for yacht marinas, embankments, free-standing berths, water transport stops, pontoons for public catering facilities, etc. is done with the use of modular aluminium alloy systems. The products are fully designed and manufactured in Russia. Standard berthing systems can include pontoons with a decking selected at the customer's request, up to 12 m long and 2.0 m to 4.0 m wide. All the necessary equipment is also provided. This includes cables, mooring pins, floats made of advanced aluminium alloys, anchors, mooring equipment, railings, rescue ladders, and more. These solutions are highly eco-friendly and meet Russian and international standards. Aluminium berthing solutions offer several advantages over traditional options. They are corrosion-resistant, highly configurable and modular, impact-resistant, easy to transport, highly mobile, and also affordable in transportation, installation, and dismantling.

Every year, our country registers over 100,000 small vessels, including about 18-20 thousand new ones made of aluminium alloys. In practice, the market for small boats is growing even more rapidly. A significant portion of such boats do not require state registration, provided they have a motor with a power of less than 8 kW and a total weight of less than 200 kg. According to experts, the total number of boat and catamaran owners may reach 7 million.

'With the growing popularity of internal tourism, the need for improved boat-anchoring infrastructure is becoming increasingly pressing. Aluminium berthing systems made in Russia are perfect for creating yacht harbours, pontoon footbridges, private moorings, water cafes, stopping points, and guest moorings at hotels and restaurants,' Victor Ivanenko summed up.

Berthing systems made of aluminium alloys are already being operated at a number of facilities in Russia. Some examples are the berthing infrastructure of the World Ocean Museum in Kaliningrad, the infrastructure of the Golden City Yacht Club in the Moscow region, the berth of the Government House of the Moscow Region, etc. According to World Ocean Museum representatives, the aluminium structures installed there in 2014 have not required any maintenance since then and have retained their original appearance for 10 years. Currently, five pedestrian ramps are being installed as part of the construction of a set of coastal and marine infrastructure at the seaport of Gelendzhik. Aluminium berthing systems are ideal for addressing the challenges of developing internal tourism in our country. They can be employed in the construction of various facilities such as the Laishevo resort in the Republic of Tatarstan, the Gorskaya project in Saint Petersburg (Saint Petersburg Marina), the Island of Forts yacht club project in Kronstadt, the New Anapa project, and many others.