VESSEL REVIEW | Bastion – Russia's Neva Travel to operate sightseeing catamaran in Gulf of Finland
Russia's State Transport Leasing Company (STLC) has taken delivery of a new sightseeing catamaran that will be operated by Saint Petersburg-based transport provider Neva Travel.
Bastion is the lead vessel of the Project 04710 series of sightseeing catamarans designed by Russian marine engineering firm Forss Technology in compliance with Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (RS) rules.
Construction took place at the Saint Petersburg facilities of the Sredne Nevsky Shipbuilding Plant division of state-owned United Shipbuilding Corporation.
Built for narrow and shallow waters
The design work on the Project 04710 catamarans had also considered the sailing conditions in the Gulf of Finland, particularly the narrow channels and inner harbours situated between Saint Petersburg proper and the outlying island forts of Kronstadt, Kronshlot, and Imperator Aleksandr Pervyy.
Bastion has a length of 27.3 metres (89.6 feet), a beam of 7.5 metres (25 feet), a draught of only 1.8 metres (5.9 feet), a depth of 2.5 metres (8.2 feet), a displacement of 70 tonnes, and space for up to 120 passengers and three crewmembers.
Two diesel engines each rated 220 kW (300 hp) will drive propellers via shaftlines to enable the vessel to reach a service speed of 11 knots and sail up to 400 nautical miles.
Comfortable onboard spaces for excursions and private events
Passengers can be seated in the enclosed, air-conditioned main deck cabin and on an open-air upper deck, which would provide unobstructed views of the surroundings.
The main deck cabin features a multimedia infotainment system, cushioned seating, and a snack bar. All onboard spaces have been laid out to ensure improved access for people with limited mobility.
The raised wheelhouse is located well forward on the upper deck for improved all-round visibility and is fitted with forward-angled windscreens that help reduce glare, especially from the helm station.
In addition to sailing on sightseeing trips, the vessel is also available for private charter as a floating venue for private events.
Part of a growing modern tourism fleet
The remaining three vessels from the same series will be handed over to STLC and Neva Travel later this year. Their acquisition is part of a broader initiative of the Russian federal government to modernise the local fleet of passenger vessels and develop tourism in the Gulf of Finland off Saint Petersburg.
The other vessels acquired by STLC under the same initiative include the slightly larger Project 04580 series, which can operate as tour boats and as commuter ferries.
Neva Travel has also begun studying the viability of having the Project 04710 catamarans’ engines configured to operate on LNG as well as diesel. The studies are being undertaken in collaboration with a number of local universities with the assistance of the Association of Shipbuilders of Saint Petersburg and the Leningrad Region.
