The Russian Navy Tug Sergey Balk and the Tanker Vice-admiral Paromov, which entered the Mediterranean on 13 May, are now underway south of Sicily.
The two Russian vessels are proceeding at a speed of about 8 knots (route 114°), their final destination is the port of Tartus in Syria.
The Tug Sergey Balk was laid down on October 30, 2014, at the Yaroslavsky Shipbuilding Plant (yard No.410). She was launched on December 27, 2016, commissioned on February 21, 2020, and assigned to the Black Sea Fleet.
The Tanker Vice-admiral Paromov was laid down on September 1, 2016, at Volga Shipyard in Nizhniy Novgorod (yard No.850). She was launched on December 20, 2018, and commissioned on May 8, 2021. This ship is versatile and capable of undertaking a wide variety of missions. It has the capacity to transport both liquid and dry cargo, as well as passengers. Additionally, it can pump fuel and oil to other ships in the open sea and load significant quantities of cargo in barrels, boxes, and containers. The tanker is equipped to handle the disposal of garbage and liquid waste, including oil-contaminated water, from warships. Furthermore, it is capable of facilitating transport operations within seaports.