On August 30, 2024, Yaroslavl Shipbuilding Plant JSC in Yaroslavl hosted a solemn laying ceremony for the Russian Navy of the Vladimir Kovalev sea tug (factory number 416) of project 23470. This is the seventh Project 23470 tugboat under construction for the Navy.
The mortgage board of the marine tugboat Vladimir Kovalev (factory number 416) of project 23470, laid down for the Russian Navy at JSC Yaroslavl Shipbuilding Plant in Yaroslavl on 30.08.2024 (c) city-yaroslavl.ru
The ship was named in honor of Vladimir Andreevich Kovalev (1934-2023), the former director of the Yaroslavl Shipbuilding Plant (1971-1979), who later served as chairman of the Executive Committee of the Yaroslavl City Council (1979-1985), first secretary of the Yaroslavl City Committee of the CPSU (1985-1990) and chairman of the Executive Committee of the Yaroslavl Regional Council (1990-1991), People's Deputy of the RSFSR (1990-1993).
The tugboat is the first one laid down under the contract signed by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation and JSC Yaroslavl Shipbuilding Plant at the Army-2023 forum on August 16, 2023 for the construction and supply of additional marine tugs of project 23470. The developer of project 23470 is JSC "Baltsudoproekt Central Design Bureau".
Earlier, the Yaroslavl Shipbuilding Plant (YASZ) began construction of six vessels of project 23470 for the Russian Navy. The state contract for the manufacture and supply of the first two marine tugs of the 23470 project was signed by the Russian Ministry of Defense with YASZ on March 24, 2014. The lead tug of project 23470 "Sergey Balk" (serial number 410) was laid down under this contract at the YAZZ on October 30, 2014 and launched on December 27, 2016, and the second "Andrey Stepanov" (serial number 411) was laid down on July 23, 2015 and launched on July 29, 2017.
Under the terms of the contract, the first tugboat was to be delivered to the Black Sea Fleet by November 25, 2016, and the second to the Pacific Fleet by November 25, 2017. However, the construction of both vessels turned into a long-term construction due to the need to rework the project to replace a number of Western-made equipment on ships that fell under sanctions, primarily propeller columns.
As a result, the lead tug of Project 23470 under this contract, Sergei Balk, was towed along inland waterways from Yaroslavl to Sevastopol to Persey Shipyard LLC on July 16, 2018, where it was completed and completed. Factory sea trials of the vessel in Sevastopol were started only on July 12, 2019, and the Sergei Balk was handed over to the fleet only on February 21, 2020, more than three years late in relation to the contractual terms, becoming part of the Black Sea Fleet. It is part of the 205th detachment of support vessels of the Black Sea Fleet.
The second tugboat "Andrey Stepanov" was towed by inland waterways from Yaroslavl to Sevastopol to the Persey shipyard in July 2019, its factory sea trials began on March 11, 2020, and on June 19, 2020, the ship was handed over to the Navy and was included in the Pacific Fleet. From May to September 2020, the Andrey Stepanov was first transferred to the 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 construction of the next three tugboats of project 23470 was carried out at the YASZ according to a modified project, with the installation of mainly non-standard equipment, including 2.5 MW GA2800Arc4 screw steering columns developed by Mechanics-R LLC (St. Petersburg), manufactured at the production facilities of the Stanokmash Industrial Park in Chelyabinsk (both enterprises are controlled by the KONAR Group of JSC). Import substitution has also turned these vessels into long-term construction projects.
The third marine tugboat "Captain Found" (serial number 412) was laid down at the YASZ on November 9, 2016 and launched on November 28, 2019. From May to July 2021, the vessel was transferred for completion, completion and testing to Sevastopol, where it arrived on July 13, 2021. Factory sea trials of the tugboat Captain Found were launched in Sevastopol on February 18, 2022, and the vessel was commissioned into the Black Sea Fleet on August 31, 2022. It is part of the 205th detachment of support vessels of the Black Sea Fleet.
The fourth tugboat "Kapitan Sergeev" (factory number 413) was laid down at the YASZ in 2016, launched on May 14, 2021 and transferred to Sevastopol in October 2022 for completion and testing. However, due to wartime circumstances, the vessel did not undergo tests on the Black Sea and in December 2023, under a civilian flag, made the transition from Sevastopol through the Turkish Straits and the Suez Canal by the southern route to Vladivostok, where it is now at the final stage of testing before being commissioned into the Pacific Fleet. The tugboat "Captain Sergeev" should be included in the 696th detachment of support vessels of the Primorsky Flotilla of the heterogeneous forces of the Pacific Fleet, based in Vladivostok
The fifth tugboat "Captain Ushakov" (factory number 414) was laid down at the YASZ in 2017 and launched on June 14, 2022. In October-November 2023, it was transferred by inland waterways for completion and testing to the Baltic Plant in St. Petersburg. Tests of the tugboat have not yet begun, however, it is planned that by the end of 2024 it will become part of the 566th detachment of support vessels of the Northern Fleet based in Murmansk.
There is information about the laying of the sixth tugboat of project 23470 with the factory number 415 in 2022 or 2023 at the YAZZ. Now the seventh vessel "Vladimir Kovalev" (factory number 416) of this type has been laid down.
The marine tugboat of project 23470 is designed to carry out marine towing of ships, floating objects and structures in ice and on clean water, wiring vessels in the waters of ports and berthing, escort operations at sea; extinguishing fires on floating and coastal objects, extinguishing fuel burning on water, stranding ships and vessels. The project has an unlimited navigation area, work in freezing seas - in accordance with the class of ice reinforcements Arc4. The maximum length is 69.75 m, the maximum width is 15 m, displacement is 3400 tons.
The laying ceremony for the Russian Navy of the Vladimir Kovalev sea tug (factory number 416) of project 23470 at Yaroslavl Shipbuilding Plant JSC in Yaroslavl on 30.08.2024 (c) www.yarregion.ru
Sea tugboat "Captain Sergeev" (serial number 413) of project 23470 at the test stage in Nakhodka, 05/15/2024 (c) Andy.ru73 / Water transport / fleetphoto.ru
