MS Pyotr Velikiy

MS Pyotr Velikiy last position

MS Pyotr Velikiy last location was at Russia Inland (coordinates 46.29978 N / 47.97840 E) cruising en route to ASTRAKHAN. The AIS position was reported 6 months ago.

Current Position

Specifications of MS Pyotr Velikiy

Year of build2022  /  Age: 2
Flag state Russia
BuilderLotos Shipyard (Narimanov, Astrakhan Russia)
ClassRussian cruiser ship (Project PV300LMPP-110)
Ferry route / homeportsSt Petersburg-Moscow
Building costRUB 3,2 billion (USD 57 million / EUR 44 million)
Speed12 kn / 22 km/h / 14 mph
Length (LOA)141 m / 463 ft
Beam (width)17 m / 56 ft
Gross Tonnage8767 gt
Passengers310
Crew90
Decks6
Cabins169
Decks with cabins3
Sister-shipsMustai Karim (Мyстай Карим)
Christened bytba
OwnerMosturflot (Russia)
OperatorVodohod

MS Pyotr Velikiy Review

Review of MS Pyotr Velikiy

The 2022-built MS Pyotr Velikiy cruise ship ("теплоход Пётр Великий" круизный корабль) is a Russian passenger ship owned by the private Russian shipping company Mosturflot ("Мостурфлот") and operated under charter by Russia's largest cruise company VODOHOD ("Водоход"). The 6-deck newbuilds (sisterships Pyotr Velikiy and Mustai Karim/Мyстай Карим) were both designed and constructed in Russia. The vessel was scheduled for launch in May 2020. This new-design Russian riverboat (Project PV300LMPP-110, sea-and-river vessel) is currently under construction at Lotos Shipyard in Narimanov (Astrakhan Russia).

MS Pyotr Velikiy cruise ship (VODOHOD, Russia)

The cruise vessel is named after Pyotr Velikiy (Peter the Great, or Peter I / 1672-1725). He was the ruler of the Russian Empire in the period 1682-1725. After winning the Great Northern War with Sweden (1700-1721) and several battles with the Ottoman Empire, he greatly expanded Russia to the north, west and south and gained access to the waterways of Baltic Sea, Black Sea and Caspian Sea. Peter I founded St Petersburg, which served as Russia's capital city in the period 1703-1917.

VODOHOD's cruise ship "Project PV300LMPP-110"

At the end of 2016, VODOHOD (Russia's largest passenger shipping company) signed a contract with the Russian shipbuilder USC (United Shipbuilding Corporation) for the construction of one PV300 unit. The shipbuilding contractor was the USC's subsidiary PJSC "Krasnoe Sormovo". The newbuild was planned to be ready for 2020's Volga River navigation season. The cost of the contract was ~RUB 3,2 billion (USD 57 million).

new Russian cruise ship design (bow / forward view)

VODOHOD's new cruise ship project partly resembles the PV300 project, which was modified to meet the company's updated standards for commercial shipping efficiency. The full name of this ship design is PV300LMPP-110. The cruiser Pyotr Velikiy was planned for navigation on Volga River (between homeports Moscow and Saint Petersburg during summer, for up to 5-6 months) and for sea cruises (during winter) in Caspian Sea, Azov Sea and Black Sea.

new Russian cruise ship design (stern / aft view)

Decks and Cabins

VODOHOD increased the ship's passenger capacity from 300 to 342. The boat has 6 decks and a total of 169 staterooms, including 2 Suites, 2 Owner Suites, 2 Junior Suites, 159 Deluxe (Twin Comfort) and 4 Standard Twin cabins. All staterooms are outside (no interior cabins) and with floor-ceiling windows. Standard cabin amenities include twin beds (convertible to Queen-size double), wardrobe, electronic safe box (in the closet), smart HDTV (satellite reception, ship info channel, live camera views), Wi-Fi Internet, radio, phone, mini-bar/refrigerator, power sockets (220V), en-suite bathroom (single-sink vanity, toilet, shower, hairdryer, shaver socket, toiletries, towels, bathrobes). All suites are with bathtubs.

The average cabin size is 19 m2 (205 ft2). For comparison, the size of Twin Standard cabins on other Russian river ships is 10 m2 (110 ft2). All cabins on this "river liner" have private balconies. Suites and Junior Suites are sized 30 m2 (320 ft2).

A total of 22 cabin pairs (44 rooms) are connecting. There is also an option for booking a 3-Room Suite (midship-portside on Boat Deck) which is comprised of 3 connecting cabins.

Cabin amenities and shipboard services correspond to 5-star hotel standards.

Shipboard dining and entertainment options

Dining onboard features European cuisine sp[ecialties with elements of Russian traditional cooking. Breakfasts are buffet-style. Lunches include 1 meal (Russian soup). Dinner is waiter-served and with a traditional Russian food menu. Waiters are dressed in traditional costumes.

Onboard entertainment is focused on pre-scheduled activities and live performances (classical and Russian folk music). Onboard lectures are themed on the country's history and culture. Port talks (by a professional tour guide) provide information on visited river ports, nearby towns, shore excursions and tours available for booking. Passengers also enjoy traditional Russian tea ceremonies, Russian language lessons, dancing and singing classes, vodka tasting, nesting doll (matryoshka) painting classes.

MS Pyotr Velikiy cruise ship (VODOHOD, Russia)

Ship facilities include:

  • 2 restaurants, 2 bar lounges, Pub (Beer Bar)
  • Conference Hall, Reading Hall (Library Lounge)
  • Show Lounge (Music Hall with dance floor, stage and grand piano for live performances)
  • Ironing Room (laundry service), Kids Room, Souvenir Shop
  • Sauna, Spa Salon (Hairdresser, Massage Room)
  • 3 lifts (passenger elevators), 2 Atriums (each with its own Reception Desk)
  • Sun Deck (Solarium with loungers, 10-m long swimming pool, 2 Jacuzzis/whirlpools), Medical Room (Infirmary),

Itineraries

Pyotr Velikiy ship cruises on Volga River with northbound and southbound itineraries. The liner navigates between homeports (departure ports) Moscow-Astrakhan and Moscow-St Petersburg (with passing through the lakes Onega and Ladoga). The riverboat also operates on the route Moscow-Rostov-on-Don (with passing through Volga-Don Canal).

The inaugural cruise was scheduled for May 12, 2020. The 12-day (11-night) itinerary Moscow to St Petersburg visits Moscow (2 overnights), Uglich, Yaroslavl, Goritsy, Kizhi Island (Lake Onega), Mandrogi, and St Petersburg (3 overnights). The reverse St Petersburg to Moscow itinerary has length 11 days (10 nights).

Ashore travel and excursion options include:

  • Moscow - airport-to-ship transfer, city tour by bus, visiting Kremlin, restaurant lunch
  • Uglich - walking tour, visiting Kremlin, Church of St Dmitry on the Blood, and Transfiguration Cathedral
  • Yaroslavl - city tour by bus, visiting an outdoor market (shopping), Church of St Elijah the Prophet, Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, Art Gallery tour
  • Goritsy - visiting the monastery and the museum of icons
  • Kizhi Island - visiting the outdoor museum of Russsian traditional wooden architecture
  • Mandrogi Village - outdoor grill / kebab
  • St Petersburg - city tour bu bus visits Peter and Paul fortress (1703-built citadel), State Hermitage Museum (art and culture), Peterhof State Museum-Reserve (lower park), ship-to-airport transfer

During winter months, when Volga River is not navigational, the Pyotr Velikiy ship cruises on routes between ports in Balck Sea and Caspian Sea.

Mosturflot-Vodohod sea cruises (itinerary map)

Shipboard activities include as complimentary events classical music concerts, grand piano concert, show lounge (daily and nightly live music and dancing), Russian traditional tea ceremony (samovar-prepared tea), food tasting party (Vodka and blinis/pancakes), Russian language class, cooking class, yoga with professional fitness instructor, lecture themed on traditional Russian arts and crafts (English- and French-speaking lecturers), talent show (by crew members), cocktail party (for presenting the ship's crew), Q&A session with Russian students, Navigation Bridge / Wheelhouse tour and Engine Room tour.

VODOHOD cruise deals

  • Departure port (dock/berth), check-in, boarding and landing times are indicated on the company's website (vodohod.com) and on passengers' boarding passes. Ship's exact departure time is clarified on the website the day prior departure.
  • Kids discount ticket prices are for children up to 14 years of age (14-yo including), the age being fixed on departure day.
  • Kids from 2 to 5 years of age (5-yo including) travel free of charge, but without providing an additional bed (if there are no free beds in the cabin). Shore excursion is also free of charge.
  • Toddlers (kids under 2) travel free of charge, but bed, food and tour services are not provided. Extra beds in staterooms (baby cribs, cots) are not available on the ship.
  • TWIN (double cabin) single supplement rate is 75%.
  • Cabin number is provided 7 days prior departure. Reservation of a specific room number costs EUR 50 pp per cruise.
  • Ticket prices are inclusive of 3 meals a day. Onboard dining includes Breakfast (buffet-style, water in pitchers, tea/ coffee served, drinks - cocoa, milk, juices, hot and cold dishes), Lunch (buffet-style, water in pitchers, tea/coffee served), Dinner (waiter-served) with 1 Starter, 1 Main course (choice of 3 available / meat-fish-vegetarian), 1 Dessert (choice of 2 or fruits), midnight soup.
  • On embarkation day and disembarkation day (voyage's end), meal times depend on landing times. If a land tour coincides with a mealtime (lunch), passengers are provided with complimentary food at a local restaurant (cafe) or given "dry rations".
  • Ticket price inclusive onboard events are Welcome Aboard ("bread and salt" ceremony), Welcome Cocktail (complimentary 1 glass of champagne or juice per person), "Tea Ceremony" (tea and traditional pies), "Vodka Show" (blini and vodka tasting), Farewell Captain's Cocktail Party (once per cruise, complimentary 1 cocktail / out of 3 choices per person), Captain's Dinner (gourmet menu, once per cruise), mulled wine or ice tea (weather-depending / upon returning from excursions), complimentary Coffee Station (coffee, hot water, packed tea, milk, cocoa, cookies, opening times 6am-breakfast, 10-12am, 4-6pm, 9-11pm), 1 bottled water (0.33l pp per day in cabins). Tickets are also inclusive of foreign language speaking guide services, onboard entertainment (language class, singing lessons, live music, nightly dancing music, Wheelhouse tour).
  • Complimentary excursions are detailed in the ship's cruise itinerary program. Optional tours are available for shipboard booking. For excursion services, VODOHOD charges foreigners with an additional fee per person per day, including children 6-14 yo. This fee is not charged to tourists from the Russian Commonwealth, Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The surcharge varies by cruisetour itinerary length (1-2-days, 3-4-days, 5-days, 6-days, 7-days).
  • VODOHOD cruise tickets don't include any land transfers, beverages and snacks (in onboard bars and lounges), phone conversations, sauna visits, optional excursions, travel insurance, gratuities, personal spendings. Ticket prices include 18% VAT.
  • Non-cash onboard payments are made via the company's debit card "Vodohod"(received upon registration), which is without any interest or commissions. The card is accepted in all the ship's venues (bars, restaurant, shop, administration). Cash payments for onboard sales are not accepted. International bank cards are accepted for final payments.
  • Gift Certificate "Vodohod" (vouchers) can be pre-purchased for any amount. The recipient can choose an itinerary, cruise departure date and cabin category. The amount specified is not fixed and is set by the buyer. If the cruise tour costs less than the certificate's amount, the difference is not refundable.
  • Smoking on the ship is allowed only in designated areas (marked with "Place for smoking" signs), located aft on decks Middle and/or Boat (depending on ship). Smoking is prohibited in all interior spaces and on open decks (except at designated areas).
  • On all VODOHOD ships are available health gymnastics and morning exercises (led by a certified physician/ship's doctor), oxygen cocktail, dietary food.
  • On all VODOHOD ships are provided (free of charge) the following medical services - emergency medical care (assistance required for sudden acute illnesses, conditions, exacerbation of chronic diseases), measurement of blood pressure and body temperature, primary treatment of wounds.
  • VODOHOD recommends passengers to arrive in departure port cities at least 6 hours prior to ship departure. Boarding starts 2 hours prior departure. All passengers must be boarded at least 1-hour prior departure. Late passengers missing their cruise tour are not refunded.
  • VODOHOD's departure ports/homeports are Moscow, St Petersburg, Astrakhan, Nizhny Novgorod, Perm, Samara, Kazan, Volgograd, Rostov-on-Don, Saratov.

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MS Pyotr Velikiy Wiki

The cruise vessel Pyotr Velikiy's keel-laying ceremony was held on August 15, 2016. With the event officially started ship's construction at Lotos Shipyard (in Narimanov) near Astrakhan Russia. The shipbuilding plant is fully-owned by USC (United Shipbuilding Corporation). The vessel was launched (floated-out from drydock/building hall) on May 24, 2019.

VODOHOD Pyotr Velikiy ship model (PV300LMPP-110-class cruiser)

Initially planned for inauguration in 2019, in early-June 2019 was announced that due to construction issues ship's delivery will be delayed by ~9 months (re-scheduled for June 2020).

One of the reasons for the delay was the choice of ship's powerplant. The vessel was designed for Wartsila marine diesel engines. However, at the tender, Ruselprom (one of Russia's largest manufacturers and suppliers of electrical machines and drives) was selected to supply the diesel-electric generator (fitted with one Wartsila engine). Then Wartsila refused to supply the engine and Ruselprom chose as replacement two Japan-made diesel engines (total power output 2,4 MW) manufactured by Yanmar Co Ltd (1912-founded company based in Osaka, Japan). The engine change led to redesigning of the entire PV300VD project as the Yanmar engine was designed differently and had too much heat dissipation (which affected the neighboring crew areas).

In August 2016, the companies Mosturflot (Moscow River Shipping Company), Lotos Shipyard and Mashpromleasing signed a 3-party contract for building and delivery of one Project PV300VD unit. Under a similar agreement, at Krasnoye Sormovo Shipyard (also part of USC) on March 28, 2017, started the construction of the sistership Mustai Karim, with scheduled delivery in February 2020.

MS Pyotr Velikiy cruise ship (VODOHOD, Russia)

The PV300 shipbuilding project (management firm MNP Group) stated that these ships can be operated in waterways with waves up to 3 m (10 ft) high, which allows them to operate on Russia's largest inland waterways (rivers and large lakes, like Volga, Neva, Don, Onega, Ladoga), as well as on.Black, Azov and Caspian seas.

Designed by Marine Engineering Bureau, the liner Pyotr Velikiy is the first (within the PV300VD project) built at Russian shipyards - followed by Mustai Karim. With optional 5 more such units, with the PV300 ships, VODOHOD targets both Russian and foreign customers who consider river cruises in Russia among the best value-for-money European travel vacation alternatives. These premium leisure ships feature modern design and implement the latest marine technologies developed for passenger ships. They also provide top-luxury hotel amenities, the highest level of comfort and superior services (both onboard and ashore).

On August 13, 2019, the cruise liner Mustai Karim was moved out of shipyard's building hall after all the hull works were completed. Followed the launch (float-out from drydock) and sea trials.

 

Russian cruise ship Project PV300VD

In mid-August 2016, the "Lotos" plant in Astrakhan started the construction of the first Russia-made cruise liner for the past 60 years. Lotos Shipyard plans to construct 2 more same-design (PV300VD) vessels.

MS Prince Vladimir river cruise ship (Russia)

Both sisterships Pyotr Velikiy and Mustai Karim have maritime class "river-sea" (река-море) and ranked 5-stars (as level of luxury and comfort). The RSCM (River Shipping Company of Moscow) and affiliated company Mosturflot took part in the development of the vessel's technical plan. "Mosturflot" is the first company to operate the newbuild, featuring the following main characteristics: LOA length 141 m (463 ft), max-width/beam 16,8 m (55 ft), height 16, 2 m (53 ft), max draught 3,2 m (11 ft), passenger capacity 300+, endurance 15 days (fuel) and 10 days (total supplies).

new Russian river cruise ship design (Mosturflot project PV300)

The PV300VD project was developed by Marine Engineering Bureau (Морское Инженерное Бюро in Odessa) in the period 2010-2015. The project was ordered by Russia's "Federal Agency for Sea and Inland Water Transport".

Shipbuilder Lotos

Lotos Shipyard was constructed in the late-80s (during the Soviet Union / USSR) and is now one of Russia's newest shipbuilding plants. The yard is located in Narimanov (town in district Narimanovsky, Astrakhan region). The company is one of region's largest and is included in the Russian Federation's register of companies which are part of its military-industrial complex.

The shipbuilder Lotos specializes in the construction of inland vessels and block modules for the Caspian Sea-deployed oil and gas platforms of CNRG (Caspian Energy Group). The Lotos plant manufactures annually ~17000 tons of steel structures and has as facilities and equipment steel warehouse fitted with 32-ton cranes, plasma-cutting and metal bending machines, assembly-welding lines. A total of 5 covered pre-fabrication halls (each sized 200x24 m) plus 6 covered assembly/construction halls, each fitted with 4 heavy-lift cranes (max lifting capacity 100 tons) and capacity to handle block structures with max weight 200 tons. The shipyard has an output to open slipway for vessel launching and an outfitting dock (quay length 150 m) served by an 80-ton rail-mounted portal crane.

Lotos Shipyard is owned by USC (JSC United Shipbuilding Corporation / Объединённая судостроительная корпорация) that specializes in shipbuilding, ship repairs and vessel maintenance (works and services). The state-owned corporation was founded in 2007 and produces commercial and naval ships, submarines, missiles. Its revenue for FY2017 was USD 5,58 billion, with total assets USD 15,1 billion.

Note: You can see the CruiseMapper's list of all river cruise ships and riverboats in the "itinerary" section of our River Cruises hub. All companies and their fleets are listed there.