The new sea tanker Academician Pashin with improved technical characteristics has entered service with the Northern Fleet’s logistics and rear support forces, the Fleet’s press office reported on Tuesday, Eurasia Diary reports citing Tass News.

The solemn ceremony of hoisting the flag took place aboard the new sea tanker in Severomorsk with the participation of Fleet Commander Vice-Admiral Alexander Moiseyev.

"Today, a solemn ceremony of hoisting the flag of the Russian Navy’s auxiliary fleet took place aboard the medium sea tanker Academician Pashin at the Northern Fleet’s main naval base of Severomorsk. Now the tanker has been officially accepted for service with the Northern Fleet," the press office said in a statement.

As the Northern Fleet commander said, the Academician Pashin features improved performance characteristics and is a universal logistics support vessel. It broadens the surface forces’ capabilities in long-distance deployments.

"The tanker’s successful trials confirmed … its increased capabilities for transferring dry and liquid cargoes to combat ships at sea," the press office quoted the Northern Fleet commander as saying.

The Project 23130 medium-sized sea-going supply tanker Academician Pashin has been built at the Nevsky Shipyard on order from Russia’s Defense Ministry. The tanker is equipped with a diesel single-shaft propulsion unit and a bow thruster and is an Arc4 ice-class vessel. The crew and passenger rooms and the service premises are located in the aft-end living superstructure.

The vessel is equipped with mechanisms for the transfer of liquid and dry cargoes while on the move at sea. The vessel’s cargo system can simultaneously transport eight types of cargoes. The tanker is 130 meters long and 21 meters wide, develops a maximum speed of 16 knots and has an endurance of 60 days. It displaces 9,000 tonnes and has a crew of 24.