Russian Navy News

02.02.2009 Ekarma Trawler towed to Kamchatka shore
The Ekarma-7, the Russian fishing trawler that caught fire on January 20 in the Sea of Okhotsk, has been towed to the Kamchatka shore, and rescuers are preparing to inspect the boat, a duty officer of the Sakhalin Navigation Service told Ria Novosti.

02.02.2009 Italian coastguards save hundreds of illegals off Sicily coast
Italian coastguards saved 226 illegal immigrants from drowning off the coast of Sicily, AFP reported on Sunday.

02.02.2009 Russian cruiser Neustrashimy showered with praise after helping cargo ship cross Gulf of Eden
The Far Eastern Maritime Company profusely thanked the crew of the escort vessel of the Russian Baltic Fleet Neustrashimy for providing protection during the crossing by the cargo ship Enisei of the Gulf of Eden, which is now known as a cesspool of pirates.

01.30.2009 St. Petersburg could have water transport next year
The draft bill on the introduction of a water transport system in the northern capital was prepared by the Committee for Transit-Transport Policy of the city and the government entity Upravlenie Glavnogo Vodnogo Transporta.

01.30.2009 Russia’s Admiral Vinogradov escorts five ships near Somali coast
The Admiral Vinogradov, a destroyer of the Russian Pacific Fleet, escorted another five ships off the coast of Somalia.

01.30.2009 Aircraft aboard Admiral Kuznetsov fly missions over Mediterranean
The aircraft stationed on the Admiral Kuznetsov on Wednesday flew missions as planned over the Mediterranean, Captain First Class Igor Dygalo, an aide to the commander of the Russian Navy, told Ria Novosti.

01.30.2009 Russia, Abkhazia to soon sign agreement on military bases
Russia and Abkhazia in the coming months will sign an agreement on the deployment of an airbase in Gudauti and a naval base in Ochamchiri, Christian Bzhania, the official spokesman of the Abkhaz president, told Ria Novosti by telephone.

01.30.2009 Rescue boat reaches burning trawler in Sea of Okhotsk
The tugboat Spravedlivy at 13:00 local time (06:00 Moscow time) reached the trawler Ekarma, which is burning in the Sea of Okhotsk west of the coast of Khamchatka, an duty officer of the Sakhalin navigation service told Ria Novosti.

01.30.2009 Russian landing ships call at Syrian port of Tartus
The Azov and Yamal, two large landing ships of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, have entered the Syrian port of Tartus for a business visit.

01.30.2009 At Russia’s Pacific Fleet, sport takes center stage
A table tennis competition amongst officers and lower officers of the Russian Pacific Fleet kicked off yesterday at a station of the Fleet in Vladivostok. The competition is part of games that will pit members of the military apparatus of the Fleet and service staff against each other.

01.29.2009 Month of public defense information underway at Baltic Fleet
A month of public defense information related to Defender of the Motherland Day and the 20th anniversary of the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan was launched a while ago.

01.29.2009 Ukraine’s Rada must exclude extension of Black Sea Fleet agreement – Ukrainian political party
The Ukrainian government must forbid any decision regarding the extension of the agreement allowing the dislocation of the Russian Black Sea Fleet on the territory of Ukraine, Boris Kozhin, the commander of the Ukrainian Navy and a member of the Ukrainian National Party (UNP), believes.

01.29.2009 Russian Navy's main headquarters relocation to St. Pete could drag on
Some structures of the Russian Navy's main HQ have begun relocation from Moscow to St. Petersburg, but the process could take more than a year, an official from the St. Petersburg garrison told Interfax.

01.29.2009 Teaching staff, students of Northern Fleet Institute receive prestigious awards
The teaching staff and students of the Northern Fleet Institute named after Admiral Ushakov were amongst the recipients of the prestigious awards of the Russian Defense Ministry and other nongovernmental organizations.

01.29.2009 Japan demands release of fishermen arrested by Russia
Japan has demanded the soonest release of the 10 fishermen arrested by Russian coast guards on January 27 onboard the Iosimaru-38 crab fishing trawler, said Tateo Kawamura, the general secretary of the Japanese government.

01.29.2009 Russian crew abandon burning trawler in Sea of Okhotsk
A fire broke out in the Russian fishing trawler Ikarma-7 off the coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula.

01.29.2009 Two ships collide off the coast of Colombia, 35 evacuated
Two coasting vessels collided in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Colombia, leading to the evacuation of 35 passengers and crewmembers to shore, a local radio station reported on Wednesday.

01.28.2009 Gates says would have allowed Russian warships to moor in Miami
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said that he would have allowed Russian warship to moor in Miami if Russia had not conducted a military operation last August in the Caucasus.

01.28.2009 Georgia accuses Russia of militarism
Georgia has accused Russia of militarism in reaction to news of the possible creation of a base for the Black Sea Fleet in Abkhazia, calling in the same vain on the international community not to allow the Caucasus to be turned into a military staging area.

01.28.2009 Russian border guards confirm arrest of Japanese schooner
Russian border guards on Tuesday seized the Japanese Esi Mary-38 with a cargo of frozen crab, the Interfax news agency reported, citing sources in the Primorye branch of the Border Service of the Russian Federal Security Services.

01.28.2009 Peter The Great’s warships found in Gulf of Finland
Six warships that were part of Peter The Great’s fleet were found 50 meters under the Baltic Sea during the construction of the North Stream pipeline.

01.28.2009 French frigate stops pirates trying to hijack ship
Le Floreal, a French frigate, on Tuesday seized two motorboats full of pirates as the later prepared to approach a cargo ship off the coast of Somalia, the French media reported citing military sources.

01.28.2009 Russia’s Moskva missile cruiser calls at Sicilian port
The Russian guided missile cruiser Moskva, a flagship of the Black Sea Fleet, arrived at the port of Messina, Sicily.

01.28.2009 The Russian and Indian navies have started joint naval exercises in the Arabian Sea off the Indian coast
The Russian and Indian navies have started joint naval exercises in the Arabian Sea off the Indian coast. INDRA is a biennial Russian-Indian exercise aimed at practicing cooperation in enforcing maritime law and countering piracy, terrorism and drug smuggling.

01.27.2009 Ivanov slams Roscosmos on Bulava test launches
Russian Vice Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov has criticized Roscosmos for its handling of the test launches of the strategic ballistic missile Bulava. At a meeting of the Federal Space Agency, Ivanov said that such tests must be real, rather than substituted by theoretical modeling, the Mayak radio station reported.

01.27.2009 A hundred sailors were awarded Guard certificates
The missile cruiser Moskva, under the command of Captain First Class Igor Smolyak, continues its mission in the Mediterranean Sea. The ship is currently on its way towards Sicily, where it is scheduled to take part in an international memorial ceremony to remember the victims of the earthquake that shook the town of Messina in 1908.

01.27.2009 Pentagon skeptical Russian ships will join U.S.-led effort to tame Somali pirates
The Pentagon has expressed skepticism that Russian battleships will join the 151st Operative Division of the U.S. 5th Fleet set up to confront Somali pirates. In a briefing for journalists, a spokesman for the U.S. 5th Fleet, which is based in Bahrain, Commander James Campbell, said that at the moment no foreign ship has joined the division, which will be commanded by Rear Admiral Terry McKnight, even though such plans were in the works.

01.27.2009 Greek sailor dies off Cameroon coast in pirate attack
A Greek sailor was killed off the Cameroon coast in an attack by pirates, the Greek Ministry of Trade Fleet announced on Tuesday.

01.27.2009 Cruiser Moskva drills missile-firing in Mediterranean
The missile cruiser Moskva of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet conducted exercises involving missile-firing simulation using its main weapon complexes in the Mediterranean.

01.27.2009 Russian warship to call at Italian port
The guided missile cruiser Moskva, the flagship of Russia's Black Sea Fleet, will make an unofficial visit to the Italian port of Messina in Sicily on Tuesday.