Russia's Ministry of Industry and Trade has allocated RUB1.24 billion (US$21.01 million) for Vympel Shipyard to build three Kometa high-speed passenger vessels.
To be built under a program for subsidised leasing of vessels for Goznak Leasing, the Kometa-class hydrofoil is part of a plan to revive high-speed passenger lines in the Azov-Black Sea Basin.
The vessels will be used to link the Krasnodar territory with Crimea.
The first, Kometa 120M, will start operating on the Yalta-Sevastopol route in 2018.
Designed by the Central Bureau of Hydrofoil Design, the Project 23160 vessel will be able to sail at a speed of up to 35 knots. It will be fitted with advanced control, navigation and communication systems.
The shipyard's Director General Oleg Belyakov said it was expected to deliver about 20 units for Black Sea operations, with non-government ships to make up 30 per cent of orders by 2025.
