In the last week of July, the head of the institution, Nerijus Šilgalis, told the news portal VE.lt that the resumption of trips this season would depend on the decision of the representatives of the company “Scania,” which manufactured the new engine.
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The ship with the new engine was already tested this year.
It was long hoped that the ship would sail this year. Trial runs and technical inspections were carried out, but in the end, the decision was made not to sail.
Before problems related to the engine replacement began, “Raketa” was doing quite well. In 2023, it reached the all-time passenger transport record on the Kaunas–Nida–Kaunas route. According to President N. Šilgalis, the 2024 season was marked by the highest ever ship occupancy – about 6,500 passengers were transported during it.
The ship sailed every Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
However, the time came when they no longer wanted to sail with the old engine because it constantly caused problems, was insanely uneconomical, and therefore the sailing costs were huge. According to N. Šilgalis, in search of alternatives to save money, it was decided not to raise ticket prices but to change the engine and thus reduce costs.
They are determined to replace the old “Raketa” engine with a modern one, although its replacement will cost more than 200,000 euros. It is hoped that the new engine will be better controlled, quieter, the ship will sail more easily because additional power will be added, it will be much more environmentally friendly, and there will be an opportunity to sail a little faster.
A modern and contemporary “Scania” engine was ordered specifically for “Raketa.” According to N. Šilgalis, there are no other ships like “Raketa” sailing in the world. The contract was already signed at the beginning of 2025. A large and serious company promised that the ship “Raketa” would be returned on May 15.
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It was expected that the new engine tests would begin in April. The season was planned to start on June 5. However, in July 2025, the ship still had not sailed.
Last June, almost all tickets for “Raketa” sailing to Nida were sold. Unfortunately, people had to be refunded. The ship was delayed in starting the season because the engine replacement work took longer.
N. Šilgalis said in an interview with “Vakarų ekspresas” that changing the engine of “Raketa” is like a heart transplant for a person.
“Raketa” is the same ship that sailed the Nemunas River in the seventh decade of the last century. The routes were briefly renewed for a few seasons from 2010 to 2012. Then it was taken ashore, preserved, and stood for 7 years. In May 2019, after reconstruction, it was launched into the water.
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