New Vessel Began Tender

Today after 28 years a generational change of the service vessel supplying ships with fuel and collecting wastewater for ecological disposal took place in the center of Prague. Minister of Transport Ivan Bednarik and other guests christened the brand new service tanker RVC PRAHA which replaces the existing service vessel. A new feature is the supply of small recreational vessels with gasoline and diesel as well as other ecological services. The service vessel is full of modern eco-friendly technologies according to the strictest maritime regulations and is the first with an innovative plug-in hybrid drive.

The public service was launched with a traditional christening ceremony featuring the crews arrival crowned by the breaking of a bottle of Czech sparkling wine against the bow of the new service vessel RVC PRAHA which replaces the previous vessel used for service operations in the city center. The base is the dock at the Edvard Benes waterfront but in the future services will also be provided in other parts of the city. The operator will continue to be the Directorate of Waterways of the Czech Republic.

The new ship brings modern technologies greater capacity and environmentally friendly propulsion significantly improving the supply and service of personal and smaller vessels directly in Pragues waters. Thanks to innovative hybrid technology and readiness for future use of renewable fuels it represents an important step towards more sustainable and safer water transport in the metropolis said Ivan Bednarik Minister of Transport. An integral part of the infrastructure of waterways is also providing support to all users of the transport route and this ship will ensure its availability at the level of the 21st century he added.

The original service vessel consisting of a pushboat and a tug had been in operation since 1998 and no longer met current technical or safety requirements. Vessels built in the 1980s were originally intended for regular bulk cargo and after many years of service require fundamental renewal. Due to strict requirements for service vessels transporting hazardous cargo it was not possible to modernize the original design so a completely new ship was built.

The new motor tanker of type N was built specifically for the needs of the capital city according to the rules of the internationally recognized classification organization Lloyds Register and European regulations ES-TRIN at the shipyard in Aalst and Wemeldinge in the Netherlands. It is the first new ship according to contemporary safety regulations under the Czech flag. The Directorate of Waterways of the Czech Republic will continue to safely supply ships directly in the center of Prague. During the past few days of trial operation we have already recorded the first clients from the recreational vessels who appreciated the availability of convenient fuel supply directly on the waters of the Vltava River. I believe that the new ship will contribute both with its services and its innovative propulsion to the sustainability of water transport in the metropolis added Lubomir Fojtu director of the Directorate of Waterways of the Czech Republic.

The ship measures 35 meters in length and 9 meters in width with a maximum draft of 1.75 meters and a capacity of 258 tons which means approximately half greater capacity than before. It uses an eco-friendly low-emission drive with a Stage V diesel engine supplemented by plug-in hybrid technology with batteries allowing operation purely on electric energy. The vessel is prepared for future provision of innovative renewable fuels with a low carbon footprint such as HVO. The hull of the tanker with double sides and bottom includes separate tanks for diesel for personal and small vessels gasoline AdBlue drinking water used oils and wastewater which are equipped with special collection systems in accordance with strict ecological standards. The vessel has a robust drive with a diesel generator of 318 kW with electric power transmission and air-cooled batteries with a capacity of 260 kWh covering consumption during navigation on electric energy for two hours. A pair of azimuth propulsion units Veth with a 360deg rotating propeller in a Kort nozzle powered by electric motors each with a power of 170 kW along with a bow thruster ensure excellent maneuverability. In the wheelhouse the vessels captain has a fully digital bridge with electronic control and modern navigation instruments.

The supplier of the vessel which succeeded in the international tender is Zeeland Maritime Services B.V. from the Netherlands which has experience in the complete construction of modern tankers. Other companies from the Netherlands which are European leaders in the field were also involved in the propulsion and electrical equipment solutions. Construction took place from April 2024 and in November 2025 the ship underwent a trial voyage in the Netherlands.

The construction of the ship was financed from the State Fund for Transport Infrastructure and the costs reached 110 million CZK.

About the Directorate of Waterways of the Czech Republic
The Directorate of Waterways of the Czech Republic is an organizational unit of the state established by the Ministry of Transport to ensure the preparation and implementation of the construction and modernization of transport-significant waterways and other structures necessary for operation on waterways. The Directorate of Waterways of the Czech Republic also operates public ports and docks as well as the tug BESKYDY and the service vessel in Prague.

Contact:
Directorate of Waterways of the Czech Republic
Ing. Jan Bukovsky Ph.D.
Head of the Strategic Projects and Cybersecurity Department Spokesperson
E-mail: jan.bukovsky@rvc.gov.cz Tel.: 602 772 631