Russia's Perm River Shipping Company will commence operational sailings of a refurbished hydrofoil ferry later this week.
Voskhod-50 (Восход-50) was originally built in 1986 as a Project 352 hydrofoil ferry.
Her refurbishment and return to service are in line with the Perm Government's programme of reviving river transport in the region.
The vessel will sail on round trips between Perm and Sarapul beginning on Friday, September 11. The route will also include stops at Krasnokamsk, Ust-Kachka and Tchaikovsky, and each one-way leg is estimated to last six hours.
Voskhod-50 is capable of transporting 71 passengers. Her modernisation entailed restoration of the hull, installation of new main and auxiliary engines, and upgrading of the fuel, freshwater and fire suppression systems.
The vessel also had some of her windows and interior panels replaced while the cabins have been upgraded.
New air conditioning systems, video surveillance systems, navigation, and communications equipment have meanwhile been installed.
The refurbishment was carried out in compliance with the Russian Classification Society's river navigation requirements.
