Sorum-class tugboat
The Sorum-class seagoing tugboats, known to the Soviet Union as Project 745, were built in the 1970s for the navy and the Border Troops. They are large tugboats used to tow ships at sea, but they also carry out border protection, law enforcement, search and rescue, and fisheries protection.
Two main variants exist: Project 745MB and 745MBS, which have twin funnels instead of a single funnel. A border-patrol version, Project 745P, has been involved in notable actions such as the Greenpeace Arctic incident in 2013 (where warning shots were fired and a Greenpeace vessel was seized) and a 2018 kerch Strait ramming incident with a Ukrainian tug.
In service, these vessels have been operated by the Soviet Navy and Border Troops, later by the Russian Navy and the FSB Border Service, with other operators including Rosmorport, the Ukrainian Navy, and the Vietnam People’s Navy at various times.
Key specifications (typical for the class):
- Type: Seagoing tug
- Displacement: about 1,452 tons
- Length: 56.5 meters
- Beam: 12.64 meters
- Draft: 4.47 meters
- Propulsion: two shafts with two 1,500 hp DC propulsion motors
- Power: two 1,000 kW main diesels plus two 100 kW auxiliary diesels
- Speed: up to 13.2 knots
- Range: about 6,200 nautical miles at 13 knots
- Endurance: 40 days
- Crew: around 35
- Armament (since 2015): two twin 12.7 mm Utyos-M machine gun turrets
- Sensors/radars: two Don navigational radars
These ships serve as workhorses for towing and routine duties, while also backing up maritime law enforcement and border protection efforts.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 17:33 (CET).