According to a tweet published by The Lookout on May 3, 2023, several Russian ships are reportedly in the North Sea without an official explanation from the authorities.
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Russian tanker Kama. (Picture source: Portuguese Navy)
The Russian tanker Kama, two Steregushchiy class corvettes, an Admiral Grigorovich class frigate, and two Karakurt class corvettes are reportedly operating in the North Sea.
The Russian ship Kama left its port of assignment on 4 January 2023, crossed the English Channel on 12 January, and then passed the Azores on 25 January under the surveillance of the Portuguese Navy on its way south.
It is possible that she made a diversionary move because after reaching the middle of the Atlantic Ocean towards South America, she finally diverted her course toward South Africa.
After a stop in Cape Town, she circled Africa via its south-eastern coast and headed back towards the Bab al Mandab Strait. After a wait, it crossed the Suez Canal in April but then turned back for a visit to Saudi Arabia.
Karakurt class
The Karakurt-class guided-missile corvette is a type of Russian naval vessel with a displacement of 800 tons (860 tons after the first two vessels) and a length of 67 meters. It has a beam of 11 meters and a draft of 3.3 meters.
The ship is propelled by a CODAD system consisting of three Zvezda diesel engines, capable of reaching speeds of 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph) and a range of 2,500 nautical miles (4,600 km; 2,900 mi). The corvette can operate for 15 days and has a crew complement of 50-70.
The Karakurt-class is equipped with several sensors and processing systems, including the Mineral-M and Pozitiv-M 1.2 3D radars, an AESA type radar, and a Pal-N-4.
It also has a 76.2 mm 59-caliber AK-176MA or 100 mm A-190 automatic dual-purpose gun, a Pantsir-M or Palash/Palma CIWS system, and 2 AK-630M-2 CIWS (on the first two vessels).
The ship can carry up to 8 Hermes-K or Sosna-R anti-aircraft missiles and has two 4 UKSK VLS cells for Kalibr or Oniks anti-ship cruise missiles. Additionally, it has two 12.7x108 mm Kord machine guns and a launcher for the Orlan-10 UAV.
Steregushchiy-class
The Steregushchiy-class is a type of guided missile corvette used by the Russian Navy. It has a standard displacement of 1,800 tons and a full displacement of 2,200 tons.
The corvette has a length of 104.5 meters, a beam of 13 meters, and a draft of 3.7 meters. Her propulsion system consists of 2-shaft CODAD and 4 Kolomna 16D49 diesel engines, generating 23,664 horsepower.
The corvette can reach a top speed of 27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph) and has a range of 3,800 nautical miles (7,000 km; 4,400 mi) at 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph) with an endurance of 15 days. The Steregushchiy-class can accommodate a crew of 90.
She is equipped with a variety of sensors and processing systems, including Furke 2 air search radar, Zaslon multi-purpose radar, Granit Central Scientific Institute Garpun-B/3Ts-25E/PLANK SHAVE surface search radar, Monument targeting radar, Ratep 5P-10E Puma fire control radar, Zarya-M (Zarya-ME for export) sonar suite, Vinyetka low-frequency active/passive towed array, and Gorizont-25 integrated navigation system.
The corvette's armament includes a 100 mm A-190 Arsenal or 130 mm A-192 naval gun, a Kashtan CIWS-M (Project 20380), 2 × 4 Kh-35 (SS-N-25) anti-ship missiles, 12 × Redut VLS cells (Project 20381), 2 × AK-630М CIWS, 2 × 4 330 mm torpedo tubes for Paket-NK (Paket-NK/E for export) anti-torpedo/anti-submarine torpedoes, and 2 × 14.5 mm MTPU pedestal machine guns. The Steregushchiy-class also has a hangar for a Ka-27 helicopter and a launch pad for a UAV Orlan-10.
