Russian destroyer docks at Limassol port

Russian destroyer Severomorsk has docked in Limassol to stock up on supplies and give sailors time off after a long deployment at sea.

According to Russian TASS news agency, the large anti-submarine ship has been on a long-distance voyage for nine months before docking at Limassol port on Tuesday. The brief visit will allow the ship to replenish its pantries as well as grant sailors short leaves.

The ship, known by its Russian designation as Project 1155 and call sign 619, set out on a long distance mission last summer from Severomorsk, formely known as Vayenga, which is the main administrative base for the Russian Northern Fleet.

The duration of the 619 stopover in Limassol was not immediately known. Some foreign media reports said the Northern Fleet’s two largest missile cruisers could be preparing for a missile drill outside Northern Norway. Knews understands that a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) was issued by the Russian Navy for an area in the Norwegian Sea from April 11 at 3pm through April 14 at 7pm, blocking off an area up to 66,000 feet in the air.

The Udaloy-class Severomorsk, with full displacement of 7570 tonnes and length at 163.5 metres, has been on a voyage over 30,000 nautical miles with stops at the ports of Algiers, Djibouti, Mozambique and Madagascar. It was then returned to home base for maintenance and once again sailed another 6000 miles.

While the 619 is armed with anti-submarine missiles and torpedoes and is officially classified as an Anti-Submarine Warfare destroyer, it still retains its inherent anti-ship capabilities.

According to TASS, the ship’s armaments include the URK-5 Rastrub-B missile launcher that can strike both submarines and ships, the 3K95 Kinzhal surface-to-air missile system and two 100 mm caliber gun mounts. Severomorsk also carries two Ka-27 anti-submarine helicopters.