Moscow plans to switch its river fleet fully to electric vessels by 2035
In short
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said the city's river fleet should move entirely to electric propulsion by 2035, with new electric vessels gradually replacing ageing motor ships. Up to 14 new “Moskva 3.0” vessels are to be launched by the end of 2028, and in May 2026 GTLK signed contracts with “Vodokhod. Passenger Port” for 14 electric ships to be delivered in 2027 and 2028. TASS reported that the Moscow Shipyard's programme provides for laying down more than 100 vessels by 2030, while the city targets 60 electric vessels and seven regular routes by that year.
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Moscow's river fleet is to move fully to electric propulsion by 2035, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said in his blog, according to Vedomosti. TASS reported the same 2035 target. Under the plan, new electric vessels are to gradually replace ageing motor ships. [ 1 , 2 ]
Sobyanin said the city's pleasure fleet currently numbers more than 160 motor ships older than 40 years, and that the Moscow Shipyard has begun producing modern electric vessels to renew it. TASS reported that the shipyard's production programme provides for laying down more than 100 vessels by 2030. [ 1 , 2 ]
Under the city's plans, up to 14 new “Moskva 3.0” vessels are to be launched by the end of 2028 for use on pleasure routes along the Moskva River, Vedomosti reported. The model is designed to carry up to 200 passengers. [ 2 ]
In May 2026, the State Transport Leasing Company (GTLK) signed contracts with “Vodokhod. Passenger Port” for the supply of 14 electric ships built at the Moscow Shipyard — eight of the “Ecobus” model and six of the “Moskva 3.0” project — with deliveries planned for 2027 and 2028, according to Vedomosti. [ 2 ]
Development of electric river transport in Moscow began in 2023. In the first year of operation, regular electric vessels made about 35,000 trips and carried around 900,000 passengers, Vedomosti reported. By 2030, the authorities plan to increase the number of regular river routes from two to seven, expand the fleet to 60 electric vessels and raise the number of berths to 67. [ 2 ]
The documents do not explain how the shipyard's stated programme of more than 100 vessels by 2030 relates to the city's target of 60 electric vessels by that year, and no cost or financing figures for the fleet replacement were given. [ 1 , 2 ]
Why it matters
The plan would replace a pleasure fleet that Vedomosti says numbers more than 160 motor ships older than 40 years, changing how passengers move along the Moskva River. The stated targets for routes, vessels and berths point to a sizeable build-out of river infrastructure, tied to orders placed with the Moscow Shipyard. The documents give no cost figures or financing details, so the scale of the spending involved is not stated.
Key facts
- Moscow's river fleet is to switch fully to electric propulsion by 2035, according to Mayor Sergei Sobyanin. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Sobyanin said the city's pleasure fleet has more than 160 motor ships older than 40 years. [ 2 ]
- Up to 14 new “Moskva 3.0” vessels are planned to be launched by the end of 2028 for pleasure routes on the Moskva River. [ 2 ]
- The “Moskva 3.0” vessel is designed to carry up to 200 passengers. [ 2 ]
- In May 2026, GTLK signed contracts with “Vodokhod. Passenger Port” for 14 electric ships from the Moscow Shipyard — eight “Ecobus” and six “Moskva 3.0” — with deliveries planned for 2027 and 2028. [ 2 ]
- The Moscow Shipyard's production programme provides for laying down more than 100 vessels by 2030, TASS reported. [ 1 ]
- Electric river transport began operating in Moscow in 2023; in its first year regular electric vessels made about 35,000 trips and carried about 900,000 passengers. [ 2 ]
- By 2030, authorities plan to raise the number of regular river routes from two to seven, the fleet to 60 electric vessels and the number of berths to 67. [ 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- How the Moscow Shipyard's programme of laying down more than 100 vessels by 2030 relates to the city's target of 60 electric vessels by the same year. The two documents give different figures for 2030 and neither explains how the shipyard's total is counted or whether all of those vessels are electric.
- Whether the “up to 14” Moskva 3.0 vessels due by the end of 2028 are the same order as the 14 electric ships contracted by GTLK. Vedomosti mentions both figures in the same article without stating that they are the same batch; the contracted 14 comprise eight “Ecobus” and six “Moskva 3.0”.
- The cost of the fleet replacement and how it is financed. Neither document gives any financial figures.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- TASS reports that Moscow's river fleet will switch entirely to electric vessels by 2035 and that the Moscow Shipyard's programme provides for more than 100 vessels by 2030. [ 1 ]
- Vedomosti reports Sobyanin's blog post setting the same 2035 target, along with the plan for up to 14 “Moskva 3.0” vessels by the end of 2028 and the May 2026 GTLK contracts for 14 electric ships. [ 2 ]