The small sea tanker Valentin Rykov has entered service with Russia’s Baltic Fleet after completing factory sea trials and state acceptance tests, according to the fleet’s press service.

The vessel underwent testing at naval ranges in the Baltic Sea. Its crew and specialists from the shipbuilding company assessed the tanker’s speed and maneuverability while checking its main machinery, systems, components, navigation equipment and radio-electronic systems.

The commissioning ceremony took place in Baltiysk, where the auxiliary fleet flag was raised aboard the tanker for the first time. Baltic Fleet Commander Admiral Sergei Lipilin attended the event alongside representatives of the shipyard and members of the auxiliary forces.

Lipilin said the strength of a modern navy depends not only on warships and submarines but also on a reliable support network. He noted that the new multipurpose tanker can supply naval forces throughout the fleet’s operational area and carry out logistical missions under a range of conditions.

The commander also highlighted the significance of the vessel’s name. It honors Soviet submariner Valentin Pavlovich Rykov, one of the pioneers of the country’s nuclear submarine fleet. According to Lipilin, Rykov demonstrated that Soviet submarines could operate covertly and effectively in different parts of the world.

An order issued by Russian Navy Commander-in-Chief Admiral of the Fleet Alexander Moiseyev was read during the ceremony. The document formally assigned Valentin Rykov to the Baltic Fleet’s support vessel detachment.

Valentin Rykov lived from May 30, 1926, to July 21, 2015. He was the first commander of the K-52 nuclear-powered submarine, which became the first vessel of its kind to travel beneath the pack ice between Franz Josef Land and Spitsbergen.