Russian shipping company Sozvezdie has placed orders for six new cruise ships in a series to be built by state-owned United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC).
Design work on the ships will be provided by USC's Vympel Design Bureau in compliance with Russian Classification Society requirements. Once in service, they will be operated on inland waterways to serve the Russian domestic market.
The vessels may also be operated in coastal areas of the Baltic Sea, the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov, and the Gulf of Finland.
The ships will each have 126 staterooms that can accommodate a maximum of 279 guests. The vessels' design is notable for placing the wheelhouse below the decks where the passenger staterooms and other public spaces are located, unlike in traditional cruise ships where the wheelhouses are placed well above such decks.
Because of the placement of the wheelhouse, many of the forward guest staterooms will be fitted with panoramic windows. On the deck above these staterooms will be an open promenade deck with bar and terrace.