Vitaly Savelyev visited the Central Design Bureau for Hydrofoils named after R.E. Alekseev and took part in the launching ceremony of two high-speed “Meteor” vessels into the water

Published on: 2026-05-25

Source: The Government of the Russian Federation –

An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.

Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Savelyev visited the Central Design Bureau for Submarine Wings named after R.E. Alekseev in the Nizhny Novgorod region. The event was also attended by the Governor of the Nizhny Novgorod region Gleb Nikitin and the Chairman of the Board of Directors – Chief Designer of JSC “CKB for SPC named after R.E. Alekseev” Georgy Antsev.

The Vice Premier toured the company’s production sites and took part in the launching ceremony of two high-speed passenger vessels with hydrofoils “Meteor 120R”.

According to Vitaly Savelyev, this event once again demonstrates that Russia is successfully developing the transport system on its own technological base.

“It is precisely our country that made high-speed hydrofoil vessels a mass form of passenger transport. A decisive contribution was made by the Nizhny Novgorod Shipbuilding School and its founder – the legendary designer Rostislav Alekseev. They created solutions that for decades defined the development of the high-speed passenger fleet. The well-known “Raketa,” “Meteor,” and “Comet” operated on the river and sea lines within the country and were supplied to 35 countries worldwide,” emphasized Vitaly Saveliev.

Today Russia remains one of the few countries where there is in-house design and serial construction of such ships.

State support for the renewal of the high-speed fleet plays an important role. Since 2023, the interregional passenger transportation project on the Volga using vessels with hydrofoils “River Highways” has been successfully implemented. Last year, 33.2 thousand passengers were transported on 8 routes. To replenish the high-speed passenger fleet, a water transport leasing program with government financing is in effect.

A total of 26 vessels with hydrofoils – the “Meteor 120R” and “Valdai 45R” – were built and delivered to customers at the site of JSC “CKB at SPK named after R.E. Alekseev” between 2019 and 2025. Today, they successfully operate on routes in various regions of the country (in Nizhny Novgorod, Saratov, Samara, Rostov regions, the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) and Chuvashia, as well as in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug) in the basins of the Volga, Don, Lena, Ob, and Irtysh rivers.

Vitaly Savelyev noted that river transport has special significance for Russia. Currently, within the framework of the national project “Effective Transport System”, being implemented under the instructions of the President of Russia Vladimir Putin, a systematic modernization of inland waterways is underway.

This work will allow to fully reveal the advantages of river transport, opening new opportunities for the growth of cargo and passenger river navigation.

Please note; this information is unprocessed content obtained directly from the source. It represents an accurate report of what the source claims and does not necessarily reflect the position of MIL-OSI or its clients.