The authorities of the Nizhny Novgorod region are working on the construction of two three-deck paddlewheel ships of Project PKS-180 with a shallow draft. This was announced by the regional governor Gleb Nikitin at a meeting on tourism development with the participation of Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.
According to him, the motor ships "Zolotoye Koltso" and "Aurum" (Project PKS-180) helped revive the circular cruise route along the Volga and Oka rivers.
Today, we observe a significant increase in cruise traffic along this route and a high demand for new vessels of this type.
The authorities expect to attract funding for the construction of the vessels under the leasing program of the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade and with the support of the Industrial Development Fund (IDF), Nikitin noted.
At the same time, the governor emphasized that Russia needs a state program for the integrated development of transport river pier infrastructure, which includes strengthening the banks, constructing pier walls, and charging stations for electric vessels.
Characteristics of Project PKS-180 vessels:
- Length — 82.6 m
- Width — 13.9 m
- Draft — 1.2 m
- Speed — 18 km/h
- Passenger capacity — 180 people
The three-deck passenger paddlewheel diesel-electric motor ships "Zolotoye Koltso" and "Aurum" were built at the Lotos Shipyard (Narimanov, Astrakhan region). The first vessel was commissioned in 2023, and the second — a year later.
Read more on the topic:
- It became known when the new motor ship "Aurum" will be launched on the Moscow - Nizhny Novgorod route
- Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia: About 70 passenger ships are being built at Russian shipyards