St. Petersburg Develops Water-Based Tourism

The North-West Shipping Company plans to modernize 4 VIP hydrofoils and 7 motor-launches for VIP entourages in time for St. Petersburg's 300th anniversary celebrations. This was announced to journalists yesterday by Boris Kusyk, the director of the New Programmes and Concepts group, of which the North-West Shipping Company is a part. He said that the North-West Shipping Company is taking part in the federal programme to prepare for the city's anniversary.

Kusyk said that the company's passenger fleet is planning to carry VIP delegations between the city centre, Strelna, and Peterhof. For this reason, the company's landing stages, hydrofoils, and other passenger vessels are currently being modernized. Kusyk added that the company's experts are considering options for expanding the passenger fleet. He said that this concerned the development of water-based tourism in St. Petersburg, particularly the creation of a canal fleet.

A controlling stake in the North-West Shipping Company is held by structures linked to the New Programmes and Concepts holding and Mezhprombank, and 25.5% of the shares are owned by the state. The North-West Shipping Company owns 244 cargo vessels, 7 river ports, 2 shipping companies, and 5 shipyards in the Leningrad, Vologda, and Novgorod Regions. The company has an annual income of about USD 100 million and employs about 10 thousand people.