The lead sightseeing catamaran "Bastion" of Project 04710 "Sommers" was launched at the Sredne-Nevsky Shipbuilding Plant (part of USC) in St. Petersburg. This vessel, commissioned by GTLK for the company "Neva Travel", is intended for tourist transportation.
The Bastion catamaran is the first of four excursion and sightseeing catamarans of Project 04710 "Sommers." The contract for their construction at the facilities of the Sredne-Nevsky Shipbuilding Plant was concluded with the State Transport Leasing Company (GTLK) on December 19, 2022, and on June 14, 2023, the first two vessels of this series were laid down at the plant.
It is planned that they will be put into operation in pairs. The second pair of catamarans will be put into operation in 2025 and will also enter the line.
The new vessels will be used to transport passengers as part of an excursion route around the Kronstadt forts. Departure will be from the pier of the "Island of Forts" park. In addition, in the warm season, the "Sommers" will be used for communication with the islands on which the forts "Kronslot" and "Emperor Alexander I" are located. These forts do not have land connections with Kronstadt; they are planned to be opened after restoration and museumification by 2026.
Project 04710 "Sommers" was developed by the St. Petersburg design bureau "Forss Technologies" commissioned by the shipping company "Neva Travel". The operating speed reaches 12 knots (approx. 22 km/h). The catamaran's crew is 3 people. The hull and superstructure are made of steel and aluminum-magnesium alloy. Construction is carried out under the supervision of the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping.
The catamarans of the project were designed taking into account the peculiarities of the location of the forts in the Gulf of Finland. Thus, the first fort of Kronstadt - "Kronslot" - has a narrow entrance to the inner harbor, so ordinary river vessels cannot pass there due to their size and maneuverability.
All catamarans of the "Sommers" type were named after elements of fortification structures from the time of Peter the Great: "Bastion", "Ravelin", "Gabion", "Caponier".
Main characteristics of passenger catamarans of Project 04710 "Sommers":
- Length: 27.3 m
- Width: 7.5 m
- Height: 5.17 m
- Draft: 1.6 m
- Displacement: 92 t
- Autonomy: 500 miles
- Engine power: 2x220 kW
- Crew: 3 people
- Passenger capacity: 147 people
The cabin of the excursion and sightseeing catamaran of the "Sollers" project has two types of seats for passengers: soft sofas along the panoramic windows and chairs in the middle row. The upper open deck has 106 seats, the closed passenger cabin has 90 seats, as well as two seats for people with disabilities.
It should be noted that, in addition to "Bastion", the fourth catamaran of Project 04580 "Kotlin" - "Fort Totleben" - was also launched today.
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