A tour boat accidentally struck a bridge pillar in the Russian city of Saint Petersburg on Sunday, July 12.
An initial investigation revealed the river tour boat Chayka was on a scheduled voyage when her helm operator suddenly lost control, causing the vessel to crash into a pillar of the city's Troitsky Bridge at around 16:00 local time on Saturday.
Local authorities said there were no signs of pollution and no injuries have been reported among the passengers, all of whom were safely evacuated shortly after the mishap.
The North-Western Transport Prosecutor's Office has begun an investigation into the accident.
Chayka belongs to the Project 03622 series of LNG-powered river tour boats built by Zelenodolsk Shipyard for local shipowner State Transport Leasing Company (STLC). She is the first LNG-powered passenger vessel to be built in Russia, local media reported at the time of her introduction into service in August 2020.
Gazprom LNG Technologies has been operating ten Project 03622 vessels under lease in Saint Petersburg on behalf of STLC.
