VESSEL REVIEW | Kolva – Hydrofoil river ferry for commuter sailings in Russia's Perm Territory

Russian shipbuilder Paritet-Tsentr recently delivered a new hydrofoil commuter ferry to local operator Perm River Shipping Company.

Kolva (Колва) belongs to the Project L390 series of ferries designed by Russian naval architecture firm Forss Technology for operation along inland waters. The series shares some design elements with the Project L370 hydrofoil sightseeing vessels that were also developed by Forss Technology and built by Paritet-Tsentr.

The newbuild has all-aluminium construction, a length of 11.95 metres (39.21 feet), a beam of 4.13 metres (13.5 feet), a draught of only 0.53 metre (1.74 feet), a depth of 1.22 metres (four feet), and seating for up to 18 passengers plus two crewmembers. Two Yamaha 331kW (440hp) petrol outboard engines will propel the vessel to speeds of between 29 and 32 knots.

Enhanced forward visibility combined with high transit speeds

As with the Project L370 vessels, the helm station on Kolva is located just aft of the aerodynamically designed bow cabin where the passengers are seated. This configuration provides enhanced forward visibility for both the helm operator and the passengers.

As the bow-mounted hydrofoil enables the vessel’s hull to be raised above the surface of the water while underway, resistance is significantly reduced. The same high transit speeds can therefore be achieved even with less fuel consumed, making the vessel more environment-friendly and more economical to operate than her counterparts with traditional monohulls.

First ferry in a growing river commuter fleet

Kolva will be operated twice daily (weather permitting) on the Kama River between the city of Perm and the settlement of Ust-Kachka, which are both located in the Perm federal region. Each one-way voyage will have a travel time of approximately 70 minutes.

Six other ferries from the Project L390 series are under construction at Paritet-Tsentr's Yaroslavl facilities the same owner. Like Kolva, all will be designed in compliance with Russian Maritime Register of Shipping requirements.