MS General Lavrinenkov

MS Lavrinenkov is one of Russia's signature "Project 302" river cruise ships.

Dmitriy Furmanov-class Russian river ships

The "Dmitriy Furmanov class" (also known as "Project 302") consists of four series of Russian river cruise ships built in the GDR (East Germany) for the USSR between 1983 and 1992. The class is named after the Russian writer Dmitriy Andreyevich Furmanov (1891–1926), who also served as a Bolshevik commissar (Red Army officer).

A total of 27 ships were produced by VEB Elbewerft Boizenburg. These vessels were an upgraded and larger version of the earlier Project 301 (Vladimir Ilyich-class) riverboats. They were used for passenger cruises across northwestern regions of the USSR—on the Volga, Belomorkanal, Lake Onega, Volga–Don Canal, Kama, and Amur rivers—as well as on the Dnieper River (Ukraine), for coastal Black Sea voyages, and even on China’s Yangtze River. After the USSR’s collapse in 1991, all these ships were acquired by private companies in Russia and abroad.

"Project 302" ship technology

"Project 302" vessels have the following characteristics:

• Length overall (LOA): 129 m (423 ft)
• Beam (width): 17 m (55 ft)
• Deadweight tonnage (DWT): 3852 tons
• V-shaped hulls differing by series in design details such as exterior elements, window shapes (rectangular or rounded), and wheelhouse headlights
• 5 decks (4 passenger decks)
• Original capacity: 332 passengers and 98 crew, all-outside cabins (1-, 2-, or 3-bed), 2 restaurants (180 and 80 seats), Café Bar (79 seats with dance floor), 2 bar lounges, cinema (102 seats), Music Hall with bar (75 seats), Observation Lounge with bar (75 seats), sauna, souvenir shop, hair salon, massage salon, library, hospital (first-aid room), and a 360-degree promenade deck with 100 outdoor seats and a sports area
• Propulsion: three marine diesel engines (4-stroke, model 6ЧРН 36/45 / also known as ЭГ70-5) with turbochargers, total output 2.2 MW
• Three bow thrusters
• Staterooms include single, double, and quad cabins (originally 1–3 beds), all with en-suite bathrooms
• After reconstruction, many ships received larger cabins, including suites and quads with two upper wall-mounted Pullman beds
• All traditional Russian riverboats of this class were fully modernized and refurbished for both domestic and international cruise companies. During their multi-million-dollar refits, passenger capacity was reduced to enhance comfort and safety.

Project 302 ships

The first series of Project 302 includes:

• Dmitriy Furmanov (1983, Дмитрий Фурманов)
• Akademik Viktor Glushkov (1983, now Igor Stravinsky / Игорь Стравинский)
• Novikov-Priboy (1983, now Sergey Diagelev)
• Aleksey Surkov (1984, now Viking Helgi)
• Konstantin Simonov (1984, Константин Симонов)
• Leonid Sobolev (1985, Леонид Соболев)
• Mikhail Sholokhov (1985, Михаил Шолохов)

The second series includes:

• Aleksey Vatchenko (1985, now Ivan Bunin)
• Yuriy Andropov (1986, Юрий Андропов)
• Zosima Shashkov (1986, Зосима Шашков)
• General Vatutin (1986, Генерал Ватутин)
• MS Russ (1987, Русь)
• MS Lenin (1987, Ленин)
• Sergey Kirov (1987, now Viking Truvor)
• Marshal Rybalko (1988, now Zirka Dnipra / Dnieper Princess)
• Marshal Koshevoy (1988, now Viking Akun)
• Georgy Chicherin (1988, Георгий Чичерин)
• Leonid Krasin (1989, Леонид Красин)
• Nikolay Bauman (1989, now Knyazhna Anastasia)
• General Lavrinenkov (1990, Генерал Лавриненков)
• Narkom Pakhomov (1990, now Viking Ingvar)

The third series includes:

• Gleb Krzhizhanovskiy (1990, Глеб Кржижановский)
• Maxim Litvinov (1991, Максим Литвинов)

The fourth (final) series includes:

• Taras Shevchenko (September 1991, now TG Shevchenko)
• Konstantin Stanyukovich (October 1991, now Princess Jeannie / Xian Ni) – Regal China Cruises
• Arkadiy Gaydar (November 1991, now Princess Sheena / Xian Na) – Regal China Cruises
• Aleksandr Grin (December 1991, now Princess Elaine / Xian Ting) – Regal China Cruises
• Vladimir Vysotsky (planned, hull built in 1996, launched in 2003 as "Ocean Diva Original")