VESSEL REVIEW | Vologda Dawns & Vologzhanin – Electric tour boats to serve Russia's Vologda Region

Russian shipbuilder Emperium recently delivered two new sightseeing vessels in a series for operation in the Vologda Region.

Vologda Dawns (Вологодские зори; Vologodskiye Zori) and Vologzhanin (Вологжанин; Russian for “resident of Vologda”) belong to the Project EM2108 series of open-air, electric vessels for inner city excursions.

The newbuilds utilise the same design as that of an earlier series of vessels but with modifications including electric propulsion to permit operation in urban areas. The newer vessels also each boast around 90 per cent domestic content and a more ergonomic layout.

Reduced footprint ideal for inner city use

The vessels each have all-steel construction, an LOA of 16.5 metres (54.1 feet), a beam of four metres (13 feet), a draught of only 0.8 metre (2.6 feet), a depth of 1.35 metres (4.43 feet), a height of 2.45 metres (8.04 feet), a displacement of 29 tons at full load, and space for up to 40 passengers in addition to two crewmembers.

The low height enables each vessel to pass underneath bridges while the narrow beam and the shallow draught permit safe transit through many canals.

The electric propulsion setup consists of a 560Ah battery driving an 80kW electric motor. This arrangement is capable of whole-day operation at a service speed of seven knots on a single full charge of the battery, though a maximum speed of over eight knots is possible.

Battery power ensuring longer vessel service life

The builder said the use of the electric sightseeing vessels will also incur lower operating costs compared to diesel-powered vessels. Specifically, the maintenance costs of a Project EM2108 electric vessel over a span of 15 years are projected to be about a fifth of the total maintenance and refuelling costs of a diesel-powered vessel over the same period.

Vologda Dawns and Vologzhanin were designed in compliance with Russian Classification Society requirements. The vessels will initially be used on three separate routes within the city of Vologda that include stops at the main river terminal and the Spaso-Prilutsky Monastery.