Russian Marine Rescue Service to base two new tugs at Murmansk Port
Russia's Okskaya Shipyard has confirmed that two new rescue tugs in a series ordered by the Russian Marine Rescue Service will be based at the Port of Murmansk following the completion of their final sea trials.
Designed by local naval architecture firm Nordic Engineering, Timan and Tepsey belong to the Project NE025 series of multi-role tugs that will perform duties including towing of non-self-propelled pontoons, salvage, installation and maintenance of buoys, anchor handling, maritime safety patrols, cargo transport, dredging support, oil spill response, and firefighting.
In the summer and autumn months, the tug will be able to independently navigate through thin first-year Arctic ice up to 80 cm thick, In the winter-spring period, it can navigate through ice up to 60 cm thick. In finer ice conditions of freezing non-Arctic seas, the vessel can be operated year-round.
The tugs are also capable of deploying oil spill response equipment even without their hulls coming into contact with spilled oil on the surface of the water, thus ensuring greater safety for their crews. For firefighting, each tug relies on a main engine-driven pump and two foam/water monitors that can be controlled remotely from the wheelhouse.
Design work on the Project NE025 tugs was done in compliance with Russian Maritime Register of Shipping rules including Arc4 ice class requirements. The vessels’ construction is within the framework of the Northern Sea Route infrastructure development plan for the period up to 2035.
