The new vessel will accompany aircraft carriers of the Russian Navy on long-range voyages
Launched on December 5, the medium marine tanker "Engineer Admiral Kotov" became the third in the series of project 23130. According to experts interviewed by Izvestia, such auxiliary vessels are necessary for the Russian navy to solve problems in the far sea and ocean zone. The tanker can simultaneously refuel three ships on the move.
Launched on December 5, the medium marine tanker "Engineer Admiral Kotov" became the third in the series of project 23130. According to experts interviewed by Izvestia, such auxiliary vessels are necessary for the Russian navy to solve problems in the far sea and ocean zone. The tanker can simultaneously refuel three ships on the move.
Replenishment in the auxiliary fleet of the Russian Navy
The medium marine tanker Engineer Admiral Kotov was launched on December 5 in St. Petersburg, the Russian Defense Ministry reported. Its construction was carried out by the Nevsky Shipbuilding and Ship Repair Plant, which is part of the United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC).
Tanker
Image source: iz.ru
The military department said that the tanker is designed to receive, store, transport and transfer various liquid cargoes for the fleet: fuel oil, diesel fuel, engine oil, aviation kerosene, fresh water. It is also possible to transport dry goods, including various technical and skipper's property, food.
— The event is very important for the Navy. The advantage of these tankers is the ability to simultaneously refuel three ships on the move. Its main purpose is to ensure long—range cruises of ships," said Captain Anzor Dandamaev, head of the auxiliary Fleet Service of the Main Command of the Navy, Captain of the first rank.
A tanker can transfer and receive liquid cargo from side to side without mooring to another ship, and it can also be done in the wake way. In addition, it is necessary to issue fuel simultaneously to three vessels traveling from it at a distance of 50 to 100 m.
These are the largest vessels that have ever been launched in the entire history of the plant, which turned 111 years old in 2024. The tanker was named after the hereditary shipbuilder Pavel Kotov. His grandfather built the cruiser Aurora, his father built battleships for the Baltic Fleet, and the engineer—admiral himself participated in the development of the Peter the Great nuclear missile cruiser and the world's largest strategic nuclear submarine Typhoon.
Supply in long-distance campaigns
Russia does not have many places on the world map where our ships can replenish their supplies during long-range hikes, military expert Vasily Dandykin told Izvestia.
"Now we have such bases in Sudan and in the Mediterranean Sea," he said. — Therefore, warships without an auxiliary fleet that provides them with fuel and food are not functional. The displacement of 12 thousand tons is enough to provide two or three ships of this class with everything necessary, such as Admiral Gorshkov, a multi-purpose frigate of the first rank with guided missile weapons of the far sea and ocean zone. It is gratifying that the program is being implemented, because the combat readiness of our fleet directly depends on it. And if it is made for the Northern Fleet, it means that it has enhanced ice protection, which will allow it to break through ice of a certain thickness without the help of icebreakers.
As the expert noted, the possibility of transporting aviation kerosene on tankers is very important.
— Each of our frigates has a helicopter. But in the future, when our heavy aircraft carrier, the flagship of the Russian Navy, Admiral Kuznetsov of the Fleet of the Soviet Union, goes to sea, we will need more than one tanker," Vasily Dandykin summed up.
We have problems with the auxiliary fleet — the tankers are quite old and, of course, launching another one is a great help to our Navy, Ilya Kramnik, a researcher at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told Izvestia.
— "Engineer Admiral Kotov" will be needed to accompany ships on long-range voyages, — he noted. — He will provide them with fuel. First of all, we are talking about small and medium displacement ships: the tanker itself is quite small. He will be able to refuel a group of corvettes and frigates several times or a cruiser once or twice on a long trip. We need a lot more of these ships. I hope that we will reach the construction of large ships of complex supply, such as the Soviet Berezina. They will be in demand if our military leadership decides that the country needs an ocean fleet with large ships.
A fleet of "floating gas stations" is being created in the Arctic
Earlier, Izvestia wrote that ru/1044990/roman-kretcul-aleksei-ramm/poshli-na-zapravku-v-arktike-sozdadut-flot-plavuchikh-benzokolonok " target="_blank" rel="nofollow">The Russian Defense Ministry plans to create a fleet of "floating gas stations" in the Arctic, which will include an "Engineer Admiral Cats." The first vessel of the 23130 project was the medium marine tanker Akademik Pashin. On January 21, 2020, the flag-raising procedure of the auxiliary fleet of the Russian Navy took place in a solemn atmosphere.
Vasily Nikitin became the second medium-sized marine tanker of the 23130 project. It was launched in 2023.
According to the plans of the military department, tankers will not only supply fuel to warships at sea, but also provide resources to coastal infrastructure in the Arctic. According to the former chief of the General Staff of the Navy, Admiral Valentin Selivanov, the Northern Fleet of the Russian Navy has been chosen as a priority for replenishment with tankers, since it is the largest and most active. His ships sail to the Mediterranean Sea, to the shores of South America, and along the Northern Sea Route to Cape Dezhnev.
Julia Leonova
Andrey Fedorov
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