New floating service station for boats launches on the Vltava in Prague

A new service boat has begun operating on Edvard Beneš Embankment in Prague, providing refuelling and servicing for vessels on the Vltava. The Waterways Directorate (ŘVC) announced that the vessel has already passed testing and been put into operation after being delivered from the Netherlands in mid-March.

The tender for the vessel's design was announced back in 2021, and the construction contract was signed in April 2024. The boat was built by a Dutch company at the Alst en Vemeldinge shipyard, and in November it underwent sea trials before being shipped to Czechia. The project cost 110 million crowns, funded by the State Fund for Transport Infrastructure (SFDI).

The new floating station is 35 metres long and nine metres wide, with a maximum load capacity of 258 tonnes — roughly double that of the old vessel. According to ŘVC director Lubomír Fojtů, this is the first new vessel built under the Czech flag to meet modern safety standards. "I believe the new boat, with its services and innovative engine, will contribute to more environmentally friendly water transport in the capital," he said.

The vessel also became the first fuel tanker to sail under the Czech flag. It is equipped with a low-emission powertrain — a diesel engine combined with plug-in hybrid technology and batteries — allowing it to operate quietly and cleanly right in the heart of Prague. Transport Minister Ivan Bednárik (for SPD) said the new boat would significantly improve supply and servicing for both passenger vessels and smaller boats on Prague's waterways.

Besides tax-free diesel for large vessels, the station also offers petrol and taxed fuel for pleasure boats, as well as AdBlue refuelling. "In practice, owners of small boats grab a canister and buy petrol at the nearest petrol station, which of course isn't the most optimal solution. We're trying to solve this problem nationwide through service centres and vessels," Fojtů explained.

In the future, the vessel is expected to offer renewable fuels such as HVO, and to service boats beyond just the Beneš embankment. The hull features double sides and a double bottom, along with separate tanks for different fuel types, drinking water, used oils and wastewater. Compared to the old boat — which consisted of a pusher and a tug — the new vessel is far more manoeuvrable.

According to Fojtů, the Prague station is the first of three service vessels ordered. Two more, intended for the Orlík and Slapy reservoirs, will be similar in design but somewhat smaller. The Waterways Directorate expects the Orlík vessel to enter service around the turn of next year and the year after. The total cost of the order for all three vessels exceeds 200 million crowns.

The previous service boat had been in operation since 1998 and no longer met modern technical and safety requirements. Due to regulations governing vessels carrying hazardous cargo, it could not be modernised. The old pusher-tug is planned to be converted to a low-emission or zero-emission engine and used, for example, to tow vessels during floods.

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Around Prague, based on reporting by prazsky.denik.cz