The developers of the Russian state system of unmanned ship control obliged Sitronics to pay for the project

2023: Court order on payment for work under the three hundred million state project

On February 16, 2023, it became known that the Sitronics KT company would have to accept work on a three hundred million state project from the Aviation and Marine Electronics (AME) research and production enterprise. This decision was made by the Arbitration Court of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region, to which AME filed a lawsuit against Sitronics CT on October 10, 2022. After the acceptance of the work, the customer, naturally, will need to pay for them.

As reported, the state project concerns the development of experimental design work (ROC) ordered by the Ministry of Industry and Trade on the topic "Development of a single technological platform for bookless management of marine vessels of a commercial fleet for various purposes." They were carried out within the framework of the subprogram "Development of shipbuilding science" of the state program "Development of shipbuilding and equipment for the development of offshore fields for 2013-2030."

The tender for the choice of a contractor for these OCDs was announced by the Ministry of Industry and Trade on July 25, 2019 in the format of an open tender with an initial contract price of 311 million rubles. Sitronics KT (at that time Kronstadt Technologies) became the only contender for budget funds, and the contract was signed with him on September 3, 2019 in the amount of 310.5 million rubles. The term of the agreement was spelled out on December 30, 2022.

From the court decision, it can be concluded that in this project, AME subcontracted with Sitronics KT. The subcontract amount is not specified in the solution.

The conclusion of the ministers of Themis states that the contract "Sitronics CT" with the AME covered the period from September 9, 2019 to December 31, 2020.

The work under the contract was carried out by the AME in full. The certificate of acceptance of the second stage of work, the certificate of acceptance of material values ​ ​ created and (or) purchased during the work, as well as other reporting documentation developed in accordance with the contract, were transferred to the customer on November 5, 2020. noted in court documents

In the course of the proceedings, AME indicated that, in the opinion of the company, the customer unmotivated evades the acceptance of work, without declaring to the contractor any of the requirements provided for by both the norms of civil law and the provisions of the contract.

The customer did not receive any complaints about the quality of the work performed by the contractor, the motivated refusal to accept the reporting documentation was not sent to the contractor. The results of the work under the contract were transferred to the customer, which is confirmed by the customer's letter dated January 28, 2022, in which "Sitronics CT" refers to the impossibility of paying for the work performed due to the non-receipt of funds from the state customer. plaintiff believes

Sitronics KT did not present its position on the case, did not challenge the claim. As a result, the servants of Themis sided with the AME.

As of February 2023, representatives of Sitronics KT and assured that the conflict in question has already been exhausted.

The lead contract with the Ministry of Industry and Trade was executed, the work was adopted in December 2022. Work on the implementation of the project component by the AME contractor was not closed until all the works performed by Sitronics KT were accepted by the lead customer. As of February 2023, a settlement agreement has already been signed between Sitronics KT and AME, the payment of which will take place in tranches within three months. tagged them

The terms of reference of the tender for the conduct of the ROC under consideration begins with a similar description of the problems of remote and unmanned control of ships (in the vision of 2019)

As of February 2023, the creation of automatically and remotely controlled vessels for commercial shipping, technical and auxiliary fleets is in the focus of attention of leading maritime powers. Such vessels, according to experts, will allow shipping companies to reduce operating costs and make cargo transportation safer. reported by authors of SOW

The document noted that the introduction of automatic and remote navigation technologies (i.e. without the need for crew on board, which is why they are often referred to as keyless or autonomous navigation technologies) should have a significant effect in key aspects of navigation: reducing crew costs, reducing fuel costs through slow steaming and more efficient ship management, reducing environmental and human safety risks, and increasing the attractiveness of the seafarers' profession.

The key economic effect is undoubtedly formed by improving the safety of navigation. The human factor, despite the widespread use of navigation automation technologies, remains the main cause of incidents at sea in February 2023. The next most important effect should be to reduce the costs of shipping companies per crew on board by reducing its number and qualification requirements. On average, 30% to 40% of the operating costs (ship operation costs) are for crew maintenance, which is about 10% of the total cost of transportation (trip rate). At the same time, as of February 2023, the operation of the power plant, deck mechanisms and cargo operations is widely automated, which makes it possible to exclude constant watch in the engine room and perform a number of actions without human participation. Modern automation of navigation allows you to carry out a transition on the high seas in good weather with a minimum shift composition. Automatic and remote navigation technologies will make it possible to take the next step in automating the vessel, reducing the need for a shift on the bridge. stated in SOW

The state customer in 2019 believed that the reduction of the crew would optimize other costs: from reducing fuel by slow steaming in the short term to reducing the cost of the vessel's design by reducing the number of premises with life support systems.

The proposed ROC is aimed at significant advancement, breakthrough in the creation and practical application of automatic and remote navigation technologies, ensuring the leadership of domestic technologies in this key and rapidly developing segment of the world market. An important feature of the project is the possibility of using the technological platform being developed for the operational modernization of existing, and not just promising, vessels for various purposes. Its creation and practical testing on real commercial vessels will ensure the fastest start in the introduction of developed technologies, both on ships of the Russian fleet and abroad[1]. noted in the conclusion of the introduction to the SOW

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