SEVASTOPOL, August 7. /TASS/. The Black Sea Fleet will receive two large hydrographic survey boats by the end of this year, the Fleet’s press office reported on Friday.
"The Project 23040G two new large hydrographic boats Vladimir Kozitsky and Boris Slobodnik will enter service with the Black Sea Fleet by the end of this year," the press office said in a statement.
The boats are currently undergoing state trials in the Black Sea to test all their life support systems, onboard equipment and operational capabilities, the statement says.
Following the state trials, both vessels will become operational in the Black Sea Fleet’s hydrographical survey service, the press office specified.
The Vladimir Kozitsky and the Boris Slobodnik are the Project 23040G third and fourth large hydrographic survey boats laid down in May 2018.
Project 23040G hydrographic survey boats can develop a speed of up to 13 knots and are a follow-up of Project 23040 multi-purpose emergency rescue support craft. They have been designed in compliance with the technical specifications of the Russian Navy's Main Command.
The boats are 33 meters long and are designated to conduct precision area-wide surveying of sea floor features and survey navigation hazards at depths of up to 400 meters and explore the sea bottom with a single-beam echo-sounder at depths of up to 2,000 meters.
They are also capable of carrying out search and rescue operations and piloting submarines and large-capacity ships. They have a high power to weight ratio and the ice-class capacity, which allows them to operate in outer roadsteads at a distance of up to 50 miles from their bases.