Mooring trials begin for future Russian rescue and salvage ship

Russia's Amur Shipyard has begun conducting mooring trials of Kerch Strait (Kerchenskiy Proliv), a new Project MPSV06 large emergency response vessel ordered by the Russian Marine Rescue Service.

The trials included activation of various onboard systems including the main diesel generators, the firefighting monitors, and the integrated ship control system. The vessel's emergency stop function was also tested.

The next series of trials will be done to assess the performance of the emergency generator.

Upon completion, Kerch Strait will be capable of search and rescue, firefighting, salvage, and oil spill response even in ice areas. It will have an LOA of 86 metres, a beam of 19.1 metres, a draught of six metres, and a speed of 15 knots.

The vessel is certified for operation in unlimited navigation areas including Russia's Northern Sea Route. Design work was undertaken by the Marine Engineering Bureau.

Construction of the Project MPSV06 vessel began on 2010 but was put on hold. The vessel was finally launched into the water in November 2020.