A Russian shipbuilding executive said that a recently delivered inland hospital ship may be used as a basis for future passenger and cargo vessels that would serve some of Russia's remote regions.
In an interview with Russian media, Vladimir Alekseev, General Director of local shipbuilder Port Kolomna, said that the design of the Project 132PK hospital ship Saint Luke (Святитель Лука; Svyatitel Luka) may be adapted for serial manufacture of new ferries and Ro-Pax vessels suited for shallow inland waters.
Alekseev said that Port Kolomna has already commenced work on a draft passenger vessel design optimised for the Moskva, Belaya and Oka Rivers.
The proposed vessel will be slightly longer than Saint Luke and will boast a capacity of 140 passengers thanks to a redesigned superstructure.
The hospital ship is limited to transporting only 50 patients in addition to 12 crewmembers and 25 medical personnel.
Port Kolomna is also working on a high-speed Ro-Pax ferry that can load and unload at unprepared shores via a hydraulically-driven ramp.
