How far will the Russian fleet go?
The tanker "Alexey Shein" on the water. Photo by USC.
Auxiliary vessels of various classes are being built for the Russian Navy. Recently, another Project 23130 medium-sized seagoing tanker was launched. Over the next few years, the Alexey Shein will be completed, tested, and delivered to the customer. This tanker is expected to improve the capabilities of the Baltic Fleet. fleet on long hikes, far from bases.
The final episode of the series
In December 2020, the Nevsky Shipyard (Shlisselburg), part of the United Shipbuilding Corporation, received a new order from the Ministry of Defense. The shipyard was to build three Project 23130 medium-sized seagoing tankers. The vessels were destined for the Black Sea, Pacific, and Baltic Fleets.
On March 16, 2023, the keel-laying ceremony for the third tanker in the new series took place. It was named in honor of Generalissimo Alexei Semyonovich Shein, an associate of Peter the Great.
Difficulties arose during construction, primarily due to a shortage of imported components. The design was adjusted, replacing some components with domestic equivalents, and construction continued. Details of the changes specifically to Project 23130 have been largely undisclosed in open sources. This is more a general industry trend in recent years than documented details specific to a specific vessel.
On July 14, 2026, the completed hull was launched. Thus, the Alexey Shein, which had been on the slipway for about three and a half years, entered the next phase of construction. The tanker is currently being completed at the berth.
The Nevsky Shipyard still has to assemble the structures, install the equipment, and perform other work. No official deadlines have been announced. It is only known that the completed tanker will be handed over to the Baltic Fleet.
At different stages of construction
The 23130 medium-sized sea tanker project was developed by Spetssudproekt JSC (St. Petersburg) in the late 2000s and early 2010s. At the beginning of the last decade, it received approval from the Ministry of Defense, and plans were drawn up for the construction of new vessels.
The lead tanker of Project 23130, Akademik Pashin, 2020. Photo: Telegram / BMPD
In 2013, the Ministry of Defense commissioned Nevsky Shipyard to build the lead tanker of a new type, named "Akademik Pashin." Its keel was laid in April 2014. In May 2016, the vessel was launched and transferred for fitting-out.
Following completion of construction in May 2018, the Akademik Pashin began sea trials. In mid-2019, it was transferred from Shlisselburg to Murmansk. The tanker was commissioned into the Northern Fleet at the turn of 2019–2020. Some sources cite the commissioning date as late December 2019, while others place the ceremony in Severomorsk on January 21, 2020. The discrepancy is explained by the fact that the official commissioning (late December 2019) and the flag-raising ceremony in Severomorsk (January 21, 2020) took place at different times.
The positive experience of the Akademik Pashin allowed the tanker construction to continue. A new contract for three vessels was awarded at the end of 2020, and Nevsky Shipyard began working on it almost immediately.
The first production tanker, Vasily Nikitin, was laid down in March 2021. It was launched on October 5, 2023. According to available information, the vessel is still being completed; there has been no announcement yet about its sea trials, although this is likely a matter of the near future.
The second Project 23130 tanker was laid down in 2022. This event was not officially publicized, and even its exact date remains unknown. The vessel was named "Engineer-Admiral Kotov." It was launched on December 5, 2024. The remaining equipment is currently being installed.
The third serial tanker, "Alexey Shein," has been on the slipway since March 2023. It is now entering the final stage of construction, the timing of which is still unknown.
The bottom line is this: from 2013 to the present, Nevsky Shipyard and USC have built and delivered one seagoing tanker of the new Project 23130—the lead vessel, Akademik Pashin. Three more vessels in the series (under a 2020 contract) are at various stages of construction. They are scheduled to undergo trials and enter service within the next few years.
This pace demonstrates that Project 23130 has not achieved mass production for the Navy; it is being built practically piecemeal. From the keel-laying of the lead ship, Akademik Pashin, in 2014 to the launch of the Aleksey Shein in 2026, 12-13 years passed for four hulls, while the production rate after the first ship is approximately 3-4 years per vessel. For the auxiliary fleet, this isn't a steady stream, but a slow process of patching up the shortage of supply vessels as suppliers, equipment, and funding catch up. The schedule was affected by dependence on suppliers, a restructuring of supply chains following import restrictions, and the replacement of certain foreign components with domestic ones.
The third pennant of the project, "Engineer-Admiral Kotov", December 5, 2024. Photo by USC
The lead ship, the Akademik Pashin, is already serving in the Northern Fleet. According to the announced plans, the Vasily Nikitin is being built for the Black Sea Fleet, the Engineer-Admiral Kotov will reinforce the Pacific Fleet, and the Aleksey Shein will be sent to the Baltic.
Project appearance
Project 23130 envisions the construction of a medium-sized seagoing tanker. Tankers of this class are designed for the transportation and transfer of liquid cargo. In the Navy, they are intended to operate alongside warships and supply them with fuel.
Project 23130 vessels are built on a traditional hull design. The bow is bulbous, while the stern is designed as a transom. The bulk of the hull is occupied by bulk cargo tanks. The engine room is located in the stern, and above it is the superstructure.
As a medium-class vessel, the tanker has the following characteristics (according to design data):
- maximum length - 130 m;
- width - 21 m;
- the height of the side to the upper deck is 10 m;
- draft (maximum) - 7 m;
- deadweight (the total mass of cargo, fuel and supplies that the vessel can carry) – 9 thousand tons.
The hull is reinforced and meets ice class Arc 4. This allows the tanker to navigate through thin first-year ice without icebreaker assistance: during the summer and fall navigation seasons, the ice thickness reaches 0,8 meters, and during the winter and spring, it reaches 0,6 meters. This is important for the Northern Fleet, where ice formations vary seasonally, and a tanker traveling without assistance can supply units when needed, not when an icebreaker becomes available.
The main propulsion system is based on high-power diesel engines. Propulsion is provided by a single propeller, with a bow thruster. The vessel, fully loaded, reaches a speed of 16 knots. Its cruising range is 8 nautical miles.
Vessels of project 23130 are equipped with tanks large capacity for various liquids. Suitable for transportation of diesel fuel, bunker fuel oil, aviation Kerosene and other liquids. There are also volumes for food, technical equipment, and other dry cargo.
The Akademik Pashin in the port of La Guaira, Venezuela, July 2, 2024. Photo by the Russian Foreign Ministry.
The tanker is equipped for the transfer of liquids in the open sea. According to the design, it is designed to simultaneously deliver cargo to several vessels—up to three transfer points. Receipt is possible side-to-side or in a wake formation, over a distance of up to 100 meters. Transfer occurs via hose lines while underway, without the ships calling at base, maintaining the formation and tempo of the detachment.
The project includes the installation of radio, navigation, and other equipment. The onboard electronics suite complies with Russian Navy requirements and international shipping regulations. It ensures safe navigation in all conditions, interaction with other ships and vessels, and other tasks.
The vessel's crew consists of 24 people. Depending on the mission, an additional 12 sailors may be added. The crew is provided with all necessary living conditions.
In supporting roles
To date, the Russian Navy has received only one Project 23130 tanker. However, over several years of service, the Akademik Pashin has demonstrated how this type operates in real-life missions and provided insight into what the entire series will bring to the Navy.
Since 2020, the Akademik Pashin has been sailing with Northern Fleet warships in the Mediterranean, the Atlantic, and other areas. In June and July 2024, the vessel, as part of a detachment, visited ports in Cuba and Venezuela.
During all of its missions, the Akademik Pashin was responsible for transporting and distributing fuel. Transferring fuel at sea increased the range of the detachments' missions and expanded the operational zones of the warships.
These vessels are intended to replace the fleet's aging and diverse supply fleet—Soviet and post-Soviet tankers that have accumulated over decades. Many of them are outdated and do not fully meet modern requirements for range, versatility, and deployment in naval detachments. Project 23130 aims to provide the fleet with uniform supply vessels designed to operate in naval detachments on long-distance voyages. The issue here is not so much the four hulls themselves, but rather the modernization of the logistics: without fresh supply vessels, long-distance ocean and Arctic voyages are limited in range.
In the coming years, three more operational-strategic naval formations are expected to receive one Project 23130 tanker each. How soon this will happen depends on the shipbuilders from Shlisselburg and their subcontractors.
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