Showing posts with label OSINT. Show all posts
Showing posts with label OSINT. Show all posts

August 20, 2015

Following the Russian Navy Mod Altay class tankers

Image Credit: Ian Sturton - Mod Altay Class Tanker

Kola - Przemek / ShipSpotting.com Baltiysk, Kaliningrad 2006

Sometime last year I became interested in the Russian Naval Auxiliary ship Kola. ( Likely in part due to Tom in Lincolnshire, UK SoundCloud / Twitter ) The Kola is an oiler; a floating gas station for the Russian Navy. As I don't have my own spy satellite constellation (YET!), and the Russian Navy uses very loose terms for their deployment areas, I'm keeping an eye on a few ships of interest (like the Kola) to see where they operate, as they indicate larger operations. An oiler... oils! Well, more accurately, it ships marine diesel to ships at sea, and does alongside replenishment. If there's an oiler, there's at least one bigger boat around that's thirsty. 

Most recently the Kola returned from a Mediterranean deployment with the Russian Navy's Baltic Fleet Neustrashimyy-class (Неустрашимый) frigate RFS Yaroslav Mudry (СКР Ярослав Мудрый). The Yaroslav Mudry is the most modern Russian Navy Frigate in the fleet, being commissioned in 2009.

There were six oilers of the same class as the Kola, spread out across the fleet.  I'm uncertain which of those ships are still operating with the Russian Navy or have been decommissioned.  Specifications for the Mod Altay class tankers are as follows:

Mod Altay class (Project 160) (AOL)
Built between 1967-72 by Rauma-Repola, Finland
Displacement - full load: 7366 tonnes (7249.7 (uk) t) (8119.6 t short)) (7366000 kg)
Length - overall: 106.2 m (348.4 ft)
Beam - overall: 15.5 m (50.9 ft)
Kola - apachio / ShipSpotting.com Baltiysk, Kaliningrad 2006.12.23

Draught - hull: 6.7 m (22.0 ft)
Top speed: 14 kt (25.9 km/h) (16.1 mph)
Range: 8600 n miles (15927.2 km) (9896.7 miles) at 12 kt (22.2 km/h) (13.8 mph)
crew: 60
Cargo capacity: 4,400 tons oil fuel; 200 m3 solids
Machinery: 1 Burmeister & Wain BM550VTBN110 diesel; 3,200 hp(m) (2.35 MW); 1 shaft

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August 05, 2015

Fotiy Krylov (Фотий Крылов) docks in Corinto, with a friend?

Marshal Gelovani
Photo Credit: Savitskiy Igor / ShipSpotting.com
Taken November 24, 2014 in Vladivostok
Following up on my last post about this interesting tug, the Fotiy Krylov (IMO 8613346 / MMSI 273441150) showed up at 2015-08-05 00:38Z at the Port of Corinto, Nicaragua.

The Port of Corinto is classified as a small port in the Northern Pacific, and has considerable warehousing and rail links to move cargo to/from the port.

So what?

Well, the Fotiy Krylov doesn't usually travel alone, but as a tug she usually has her AIS beacon on, unlike spy-ships or other ships of war.  So, who's she travelling with this time?

Rumour has it she's with the Project 862/II Marshal Gelovani (NATO: Yug Class) Hydrographic survey vessel. I can't find an IMO or MMSI for her, just a reference to 906O.  I also found reference that she is an AGE: General Purpose Experimental Ship (AGE = Auxiliary General Experimental).  I wonder if she's experimenting with something, and what they're up to?

The only thing I know that's going on in Nicaragua is the new canal which is being bankrolled by the Chinese, which is going to erode the American-controlled Panama canal's monopoly.  Just today they announced potential changes to the Pacific entry of the canal.  Are the Russians helping with oceanographic surveying?  Are they experimenting with new sonar?  Nicaragua is an ally of Russia, so any number of other projects could be going on, or they could have just stopped for some fuel and cigars.  I really don't know.

Title: Marshal Gelovani
Russian Navy Auxiliary
Project 862/II  |  NATO: Yug Class
Launched: 11.02.1983
Commissioned: 29.07.1983
Serving: Pacific Fleet / Vladivostok, Russia
Concept / Program (multiple sources have the ship listed differently):
  AGE: General Purpose Experimental Ship (AGE = Auxiliary General Experimental)
  General-purpose research ship
  Ekspeditsionnoye Okeanograficheskoye Sudno (EOS); Expeditionary Oceanographc Vessel
  Hydrographic survey vessel
Displacement: 1,892 tons / 2,490 tons (full)
Dimensions: 82.5 x 13.5 x 3.97 meters/270.6 x 44.3 x 13 feet
Propulsion: 2 Sulzer diesels, 2 shafts, 3,600 bhp, 15.6 knots
Crew: 46 civilian + 20 mission crew + 4 passengers/transients
Built: Poland, Stocznia Polnocna, Gdansk
  [information compiled from multiple sources]

Fotiy Krylov's last recorded position:



Corinto, Nicaragua:

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