MOSCOW, November 11. /TASS/. The missile cruiser Marshal Ustinov performing long-distance deployment missions in the Atlantic Ocean has left the port of Malabo, the capital of Equatorial Guinea, the Northern Fleet’s press office reported on Monday.
"The missile cruiser Marshal Ustinov performing long-distance deployment missions in the central Atlantic has completed its business call at the port of Malabo, the capital of Equatorial Guinea situated on the Bioko Island in the Gulf of Guinea. The main aim of the visit was to show the colors and strengthen naval cooperation," the press office said in a statement.
The Russian missile cruiser stayed at the port of Malabo from November 8. In the morning of November 11, it entered the Atlantic Ocean and set off for an area of its encounter with the Northern Fleet’s support vessels: the tanker Vyazma and the rescue tug SB-406, the press office said.
"During its stay at the port of Malabo, the Northern Fleet’s sailors made several sightseeing bus tours of the city. Representatives of the Russian diplomatic corps visited the cruiser Marshal Ustinov. The deployment’s commanding officer, commander of the missile ships’ division, Captain 1st Rank Andrei Saloshin and cruiser commander, Captain 1st Rank Vladimir Kuzmin paid a number of protocol visits to officials of the receiving side," the statement says.
The missile cruiser Marshal Ustinov left the Northern Fleet’s main naval base of Severomorsk on July 3 to take part in Russia’s main naval parade in St. Petersburg. After the parade, the cruiser’s crew took part in the Russian Navy’s Ocean Shield-2019 large-scale drills. Over the period of two months, the warship held a series of drills in the Mediterranean and visited Algeria, Egypt, Turkey, Greece and Cyprus. Since it embarked on its long-distance deployment, the missile cruiser has covered a distance of more than 23,000 nautical miles.