The Igor Belousov (Игорь Белоусов) joins the Russian Navy

Igor Belousov (Игорь Белоусов) Project 21300
Photo Credit - http://sdelanounas.ru/blogs/56753/

According to media reports ( tass.ru, portnews.ru, etc ) the latest deep water search and rescue ship of the Russian Navy was commissioned and hoisted the Russian naval ensign on December 25th 2015 at a ceremony in St Petersburg.  What I find interesting about this is the route mentioned to transfer the ship to Vladivostok, which will be its home port:

The Russian Navy intends to send the rescue vessel Igor Belousov to its base in Vladivostok in the Russian Far East "across all the oceans" rather than via the Northern Sea Route, Bursuk said. "A final route for the ship has not yet been approved but most likely it will run across all the oceans rather than via the Northern Sea Route to check the vessel in various latitudes. We plan to start the transfer in the spring of 2016," Bursuk said. -tass.ru

To visualize, if your geography is rusty, here is an illustration of St Petersburg to Vladivostok. By plane, it's a long flight; by ship, it is considerably longer.



Arguably going around the southern tip of Africa or through the Red Sea is the logical route for the time of year; I would think the Northern route would be at least partially iced over during the spring.  Indeed taking the southern route will take the Igor Belousov through the North Atlantic, South Atlantic, Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean - touching all off the earth's oceans.  I've been speculating they may cross the North Atlantic, go to Cuba, maybe Nicaragua, then head to Vladivostok via the Southern tip of Africa.  Those same stops have been made by the Nikolay Chiker in 2014 and the RV Yantar in 2015. Of course, they might just go through the Mediterranean and the Red Sea.  Time will tell.

Reference:
http://www.shipspotting.com/gallery/search.php?query=Igor+Belousov&x=0&y=0
http://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/index/search/all?keyword=IGOR+BELOUSOV

The Igor Belousov (Игорь Белоусов); finished deep water tests, on to sea trials

Igor Belousov (Игорь Белоусов) Project 21300
Photo Credit - http://sdelanounas.ru/blogs/56753/

Credit: arms-expo.ru

The Igor Belousov / Игорь Белоусов, aka "Project 21300", just finished deep water testing with their divers operating in 100 meters (328 feet) of water, using pressurized diving bells and compression chambers, in multiple shifts, simulating rescue operations of a disabled submarine over a three day period which included oxy-acetylene cutting, hydraulic tools, compressed air, and rescue simulations with their rescue sub.  This is significant because it marks a return of the Russian Navy to truly deep water rescue capability - the first time in 25 years that they have been able to conduct sustained exercises at that depth, over multiple days.

credit: bastion-karpenko.ru

What I find especially interesting is that Project 21300 is being constructed at the same St Petersburg shipyard as the RV Yantar (of previous blog posts).  You will notice that the same type of door is on the right side of the ship, allowing the manned submersible to dock with the decompression chambers in the bowels of the ship.  There is also a moon-pool allowing the diving bell to be lowered to the ocean's bottom, and for underwater operations to be covertly performed.  The diving bell also attaches to the same decompression chambers, allowing both manned vehicles to use the same decompression chamber.  You'll also notice the hull and profile of the ship are almost identical.

Pressurized Diving Bell
Credit: arms-expo.ru

But the similarities don't end at their looks; both are equipped with remotely operated submersibles, and both are equipped with tow-behind side-scan sonar to detect items on the ocean's floor. I'm sure there are other similarities, but those are the ones that jump out at me.

At this moment the Igor Belousov is out on sea trials for a 36 day tour, and is supposed to be commissioned before the end of 2015.



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Reference:
http://russianships.info/eng/rescue/project_21300.htm
http://7fbtk.blogspot.ca/2015/09/musical-submarine-rescue-ships.html