Russia’s Northern Fleet to test Nikolai Skosyrev hydrographic vessel.

The advanced Project 19910 small hydrographic vessel Nikolai Skosyrev built by the Vympel Shipyard has arrived in Murmansk in northwest Russia to undergo shipbuilders sea and state trials, the Defense Ministry’s press office said.

Nikolai Skosyrev hydrographic vessel (Picture source: Russian MoD)

"After all stages of its trials are completed, the vessel will join the Northern Fleet," the press office said.

During a working meeting on the delivery of new vessels to the Navy’s hydrographic service, Navy Commander-in-Chief Admiral Nikolai Yevmenov ordered chiefs of the main Navy command’s specialized directorates to supervise the construction of hydrographic vessels and boats as part of the state defence procurement program.

Yevmenov said that "along with large hydrographic boats that are being delivered to the Navy and are able to accomplish a wide range of tasks in coastal waters, the main Navy command is focusing on equipping the fleet’s hydrographic service with new Project 19910 vessels that can operate at a distance of more than 3,000 miles from their bases."

"This is an important task for us, considering the active work being carried out by the Navy to survey the World Ocean," he added.

The Nikolai Skosyrev was built by the Vympel Shipyard, part of the Kalashnikov Corporation, under a contract signed with the Defense Ministry.

On June 26, 2019, the shipyard floated out the vessel and carried out its mooring trials.

In Murmansk, the ship will undergo running and state trials and then it will be delivered to the customer.

The Vympel Shipyard is currently building the second Project 19910 vessel designated as Yakov Lapushkin.

The Project 19910 vessel is designed to carry out a hydrographic survey and service navigational equipment in coastal waters. The vessel’s main mission is to set up and remove navigational sea buoys of all types, inspect, recharge and repair coastal and floating navigational equipment, carry out a hydrographic survey, and transport various cargoes for the operation of coastal navigational equipment and hydrographic units on unequipped coast.

The vessel has a length of about 60 meters, a width of 11 meters, a hull height of more than 5 meters, a range of about 3,500 miles, and a cruising capacity of 25 days. Its crew totals 22.

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