Russia's Moscow Shipbuilding Yard has launched four new electric river ferries in a series for operation by the Moscow Department of Transport and Road Infrastructure Development (Moscow Deptrans).
The welded-aluminium ferries belong to an existing series of vessels, the first examples of which were built by local shipyard Emperium and are already being operated by Moscow Deptrans on the Moskva River.
Each of the new ferries has an LOA of 21 metres, a beam of 6.2 metres, a draught of only 1.4 metres, a displacement of 40 tonnes, and a capacity of 80 passengers.
Seating will be available for 42 passengers on each ferry, and the main cabins will also be fitted with USB charging ports, wifi connectivity, tables, toilets, and space for bicycles and scooters. The cabin layout can be rearranged to allow the operator to adjust the distances between the seats and to install armrests of varying widths.
The new Moscow Deptrans ferries are all of modular construction with each ferry's wheelhouse, main cabin, and other structural elements being built as complete, separate components. The ferries can therefore be easily dismantled for transport to anywhere in Russia by rail and then quickly re-assembled within seven days.
Operational trials by the first vessels in the series showed that they can also easily navigate under mild winter conditions with broken surface ice, though year-round operations are planned for the entire fleet.
