Perm

The presence of a navigable river within the city boundaries contributed to the development of river transport. In 1846, the Perm Steamboat Society was established in the city. The first regular steamboat traffic on the Kama was opened. It is 1846 that is considered to be the start of steamboat transportation on the Kama. In 1851, 11 steamers were already sailing on the Kama. All of them were towboats, and at that time, passengers were carried on barges. In 1855, a passenger connection was opened from Perm to Nizhny Novgorod, and, in 1860, to the village of Novoye Usolye (now the city of Usolye).

In total on the Kama in the period from 1846 to 1917 there were about 36 different steamboat companies; 400-500 steamers owned by these companies were operating on the river. There grew up whole steamboat dynasties such as the Kamenskys and the Lyubimovs.

In 1931, the Kama shipyard was founded in Perm. In 1932, it launched its first vessel, a tugboat, the "Permsky Pervenets (Perm Firstborn)", with an output of 150 horsepower. In total, 135 tugboats were built in the pre-war years.

In 1940, the building of the river station was put into operation in the city of Molotov (Perm). During the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945), a mobilisation point and a military commandant's office were located in the river station building. The waiting room was used as a dance floor.

The first high-speed hydrofoil boat "Raketa-5" appeared on the Kama in the summer of 1960. It opened the intercity transport line "Perm - Zakamsk". It was followed by other "Raketas", and three years later - by more powerful "Meteors". In 1980, river vessels of the Voskhod series (1980) appeared on the Kama. "Raketas", "Meteors" and "Voskhods" brought in passenger transportation both within the city limits and also within the boundaries of the Perm region. To this day, Voskhod river boats operate on the Kama River for short distances. Also within the city, you can see cruise boats sailing on the Kama River with passengers who are travelling between the cities of Russia.