The Khabarovsk Shipbuilding Yard held, Nov 2, a ceremonial keel-laying for the new hovercraft SVP-50. This 50-passenger vessel is fully amphibious to provide for a seamless passenger transportation service.
SVP-50 is purpose-built for navigation in not readily accessible areas. The craft can be used on drift ice, snow pack, sheet or brash ice, in polluted or shallow waters, marshy or flat land areas, and areas with fast currents. Furthermore, it can carry up to 50 people or 25 people and 2 tons of cargo. On-water speed is 60 km/h; on-ice speed 95 km/h. Its maximum range is 400 km.
“ We will decide in the near future to which area to dispatch this vessel; it may well serve several areas simultaneously. It is important to us that the yard commences a full-scale production of such crafts. We will order a few more prototypes for Khabarovsk Krai and are now working to bring in customers from other regions. The entities of the Far Eastern Federal District voiced interest in the yard’s products ,” Vyacheslav Shport, Governor of the region , noted.
The vessel construction was initiated by the regional government; the customer is the regional company Khabvodtrans under the special purpose project Development of the Khabarovsk Krai Transportation System.
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Press Release, November 02, 2012; Image: dcss