ODESSA, JUNE, 18TH, 2008, CONTEXT-PRICHERNOMORIE -Kherson ship-repair factory has launched passenger promenade vessel «Empire» intended for the Black Sea coast of Russia designed by the «Odessa Sea engineering bureau», “Context-Prichernomorie” correspondent reports.

The agency was informed about this today, on June, 18th, by the OSEB press-service.

Vessel «Empire» has been laid on February, 8th, 2007.

Autonomy — 14 hours. Crew (including the attendants) — 17 persons, quantity of passengers — 250 persons.

It was noted by the press-service that steam-ship «Empire» is the first passenger ship for more than ten years constructed for transportations of passengers on coastal lines and sea promenades in cities-resorts of the Black Sea coast of the former USSR.

For the first time vessels of such purpose («Zarya» and «Zarnitsa») have been constructed in 1928 on Odessa SRF. Every vessel could transport up to 235 passengers. In 1934 in Odessa and Taganrog a serial construction of promenade vessels for roughly developed resorts of the Big Sochi has been organized.

INFORMATION: Open joint-stock company «Sea engineering bureau» was registered on March, 23, 1995 in Odessa. It was created by a group of scientific employees of shipbuilding faculty of the Odessa national sea university. The Sea Engineering Bureau is engaged in development of pre-contract, classification projects, projects of «conversion», modernization and renewal of the vessels, the internal and mixed navigation, preparation of projects of increase of carrying capacity and capacity of containers of the vessels , development of ship programs and others.