On July 3, 2026, Vladivostok hosted the ceremony of admission to the Pacific Fleet of the Russian Navy of the sea tugboat Kapitan Sergeev of project 23470 (serial number 413), built at JSC Yaroslavl Shipbuilding Plant (YASZ) in Yaroslavl. Admiral Viktor Liina, Commander of the Pacific Fleet, congratulated the ship's crew and honored guests on joining the fleet of the new tugboat, after which the flag of auxiliary vessels was raised on the Kapitan Sergeev. The Kapitan Sergeev became the fourth vessel of Project 23470 in the Russian Navy and the second in the Pacific Fleet.
The sea tugboat Kapitan Sergeev of project 23470 (serial number 413), built at JSC Yaroslavl Shipbuilding Plant (YASZ), after being commissioned into the Pacific Fleet of the Russian Navy. Vladivostok, 07/03/2026 (c) V. Ankov
The developer of project 23470 is JSC Central Design Bureau Baltsudoproekt. The construction of a series of marine tugboats of project 23470 for the Russian Navy has been underway at Yaroslavsky Shipbuilding Plant JSC since 2014, having been greatly delayed due to problems with import substitution of a significant part of the mechanisms (primarily propeller columns), insufficient financing and the financial situation of the shipyard itself.
The lead marine tugboat of project 23470 Sergey Balk (serial number 410) was laid down at the shipyard on October 30, 2014, launched on December 27, 2016, but only joined the Black Sea Fleet on February 21, 2020. Subsequently, YASZ handed over to the Navy two more tugs of this type "Andrey Stepanov" (serial number 411, commissioned on June 19, 2020, part of the Pacific Fleet) and "Captain Found" (serial number 412, commissioned on August 31, 2022, part of the Black Sea Fleet).
From May to September 2020, the Andrey Stepanov was first transferred North via inland waterways, after which it moved along the Northern Sea Route to its base in Kamchatka. It is part of the 697th detachment of OKVS support vessels in the Northeast of Russia of the Pacific Fleet based at Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky.
The fourth tugboat, Captain Sergeev (serial number 413), was laid down at the YASZ in 2016 and launched on May 14, 2021. In October 2022, it was transferred to Sevastopol for completion and testing. However, due to wartime circumstances, the vessel did not undergo trials in the Black Sea and in December 2023, under a civilian flag, made the passage from Sevastopol through the Turkish Straits and the Suez Canal via the southern route to Vladivostok. But the commissioning of the tugboat in Vladivostok lasted for another two and a half years. In February 2025, the Ninth Arbitration Court of Appeal sentenced YASZ to pay a penalty of 187 million rubles to the Russian Ministry of Defense for repeatedly disrupting the delivery of this vessel. Only now has the Kapitan Sergeev joined the Pacific Fleet, and, as reported, it should be included in the 696th detachment of support vessels for the Primorsky Flotilla of the diverse forces of the Pacific Fleet, based in Vladivostok.
The fifth tugboat, Captain Ushakov (serial number 414), was laid down at the YASZ in 2017 and launched on June 14, 2022. In October-November 2023, it was transferred via inland waterways for completion and testing to the Baltic Shipyard in St. Petersburg, intended for the Northern Fleet. On the night of August 9, 2025, the Captain Ushakov, which had not been commissioned, capsized and sank near the wall of the Baltic Shipyard. Only at the end of June 2026, work began on lifting the vessel, its further fate is still unclear.
Two more tugboats of project 23470 are under construction at YASZ - Rear Admiral Pinchuk (serial number 415) and Vladimir Kovalev (serial number 416, laid down on August 30, 2024).
The marine tugboat of project 23470 is designed to carry out offshore towing of vessels, floating objects and structures in ice and clear water, escorting vessels in the waters of ports and mooring, escort operations at sea; extinguishing fires on floating and coastal facilities, extinguishing fuel burning on water, decommissioning ships and vessels. The project has an unlimited navigation area, and work in freezing seas is carried out in accordance with the Arc4 class of ice reinforcements. The maximum length is 69.75 m, the maximum width is 15 m, and the displacement is 3,400 tons.
