VESSEL REVIEW | Aleksandr Gorin – Compact catamaran tour boat built for Russian inland routes

Russia's Shipbuilding Design Bureau has completed construction of a new catamaran sightseeing vessel that will be operated exclusively on inland routes.

Aleksandr Gorin (Александр Горин) was designed by Russian naval architecture firm Forss Technology in compliance with Russian Maritime Register of Shipping requirements. She belongs to the Project FT12 series of vessels slated for operation in rivers as well as Neva Bay and the Gulf of Finland.

Laid out for clear-weather operation

The vessel has a length of 12 metres (39 feet), a beam of 4.7 metres (15 feet), a draught of only 0.6 metre (two feet), a depth of 3.1 metres (10 feet), a displacement of 74 tons, and space for 28 passengers and two crewmembers. Two 84.6kW (113hp) petrol outboard engines will propel the vessel to speeds of up to 10 knots.

The passengers are accommodated on a covered main deck while the helm operator is well forward on a raised seat, ensuring unobstructed 360-degree views. The electronics suite includes a Furuno radar.

Designed for inner city and coastal sailings

As part of her regular operating profile, Aleksandr Gorin will also bring passengers to Kronstadt and the other historic forts that have become popular tourist attractions in Saint Petersburg. Each trip will have a maximum duration of two hours and the maximum distance from shore will be five nautical miles.

The vessel, which has since commenced operational sailings, honours the late Aleksandr Vladimirovich Gorin, a Russian Naval Infantry officer and posthumous recipient of the Hero of the Russian Federation award.