On 26 October 2016, Pella shipyard (Leningrad Region) launched a rescue tugboat of new generation for RF Navy, the shipyard told IAA PortNews.
The SB-737 (Project 02980) is designed to perform ranged services: towing of seagoing vessels in the ice and clear waters, supplying offshore facilities with equipment and materials. The ship can participate in rescue operations, provide assistance to stricken ships, conduct SAR operations and evacuation of people, providing them with medical care, extinguish fires on floating and shore-based facilities, extinguish burning oil on the sea surface, and response to oil spills.
Rescue tugboats of Project 02980 are vessels of new generation with a cruising range of 3,500 miles able for emergency duty in different areas to support the operations of Navy.
According to the Chief of the Search-And-Rescue Service of the Russian Navy Captain 1st Rank Damir Shaykhutdinov, the advantage of rescue tugboats of Project 02980 is their ability to accommodate containerized autonomous mobile diving complexes, which is “a very significant feature when time is crucial for execution of search and rescue tasks”.
Leningrad Shipyard Pella was founded in 1950 and privatized in 1992. The holding incorporates a head company and a number of subsidiaries. The shipyard specializes in construction of tug boats for Russian customers.