Conceptual & Detailed design:   Sea Tech (2021-22)

Concept authors:   G. Migeotte, P. Ezhov

Exterior design:    N. Tseloukhov (Sea Tech Studio)

Chief designer:   R. Prostotin

Customer:   East Siberian River Shipping Company

Yard:   Vympel Shipyard, Irkutsk Fleet Production Base (2022-23)

Project HSC150B is a hydrofoil-assisted catamaran (dynamic hull unloading). Purpose: high-speed passenger transportation on main river and lake routes, including Lake Baikal.

Operating conditions: the vessel is designed for year-round operation in ice-free waters, in both hydrofoil and displacement modes depending on weather conditions.
Navigation area: Category "M" inland waterways, including Lake Baikal. The project provides for passenger disembarkation on unequipped shores.

The construction of high-speed vessels of this type is a new experience for Russian shipbuilders. The creation of this hydrofoil catamaran was driven by a demand for a high-speed vessel with strict requirements for speed, seaworthiness, draft, and fuel efficiency.

The vessel’s concept is based on the experience in seagoing vessel design of our friend and partner, renowned hydrodynamicist Gunther Migeotte, and his mentor, Professor Werner Hoppe.

Key distinctions of the HSC150B project from traditional HYSUCAT* (Hydrofoil Supported CATamaran) vessels include: the arrangement of the foils relative to the hulls, foil configuration, the degree of dynamic unloading, and the combination of the foil system with high-aspect-ratio wave-piercing hulls.

In the course of the HSC150B project, it was achieved that at least 90% of equipment, materials, and components for the vessel are manufactured in Russia.

Under the contract signed by Vympel Shipyard, East Siberian River Shipping Company, and Mashpromleasing JSC, two HSC150B vessels were built in 2024. The construction was carried out in cooperation with the Irkutsk Repair and Maintenance Enterprise.

The catamarans entered service during the 2024 navigation season on Lake Baikal. The vessels were named Sarma and Selenga in honor of the Baikal winds and the rivers of the same name flowing into the lake.

According to Deputy Chief Engineer A.Morozov and Chief Engineer A.Sidorenko of the East Siberian River Shipping Company, new catamarans possess a unique combination of qualities, including a shallow draft allowing access close to shore and a high speed of 60 km/h for a passenger vessel. These vessels are reportedly the first of their kind in the region and the Russian Federation, with hopes they will pioneer a new series of similar motor ships. You can read the full report from Vesti-Irkutsk TV channel (02.11.2022, RUS).

At the NEVA 2025 exhibition, the HSC150B project was awarded the 2nd-degree Laureate Diploma of the first national maritime industry award in Russia, "Marine Olympus", in the "Best at Sea" category.
 

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* A Hysucat-type vessel is a catamaran with a hydrofoil system integrated within the maximum beam of the hull or slightly exceeding it.

Compared to a planing craft of the same speed, a hysucat consumes 40% less fuel and carries 8% more payload.

Compared to a traditional hydrofoil with fixed foils, a hysucat can operate at shallower depths, is less sensitive to overloading, and features a relatively simple foil design, while the risk of failing to "take off" onto the foils is eliminated.