Russian news outlet TASS has reported that local company Ak Bars Shipbuilding Corporation intends to commence serial manufacture of Project 03830 hydrofoil ferries by 2028.
Ak Bars CEO Renat Mistakhov said that the company intends to build six to eight ferries each year and that negotiations are underway regarding the manufacture of the vessels for operation in the Republic of Tatarstan.
Zelenodolsk Shipyard is the current manufacturer of Project 03830 ferries for Tatarstan. These include Mikhail Devyatayev (pictured), which was handed over in 2023.
Designed by local naval architecture firm the Sea Tech Group, the Project 03830 ferries will each have a length of 36 metres, a beam of 11 metres, a draught of only two metres, capacity for 124 passengers and seven crewmembers, and a hydrofoil design that will allow operation in wave heights of up to two metres even at speeds approaching 40 knots.
The design will also permit navigation in shallow waters such as rivers in or near cities and even in coastal waters near beaches. A flight control system with self-stabilising features will ensure improved seaworthiness and reduced load when accelerating.
The main cabin of each ferry will have 122 airliner-type reclining seats and luggage racks as well as spaces for passengers with limited mobility.
