On January 31, the training vessel Professor Khlyustin of the FSUE “Rosmorport” Far Eastern Basin Branch celebrated its 50th anniversary since the national flag was raised on its board.

Over the years of its operation, the vessel has traveled tens of thousands miles and has become a base not only for the sailing practice for cadets of leading maritime educational institutions, but also for research, educational and industrial activities. Every year, up to 600 cadets of the Maritime State University named after admiral G.I. Nevelskoy and its branches, as well as the Siberian state university of water transport undergo practical training on the vessel.

On the occasion of the Professor Khlyustin's anniversary Evgeny Pankratov, Director of the Far Eastern Basin Branch of FSUE “Rosmorport”, rewarded the vessel's crew members with honorary certificates and expressed gratitude on behalf of the Branch.

Interestingly, the vessel was named in honor of Professor Boris Pavlovich Khlyustin, the Soviet naval officer and Doctor of Engineering. For many years, the training vessel Professor Khlyustin was used to train future sailors of the merchant fleet of Leningrad maritime schools, and also made commercial trips. The vessel was equipped with an educational navigator's cabin, an engine room, a radio room, and a switchboard specially for the students. In addition, three classrooms, a cadet canteen, a sports hall and a library were organized. The cabins could accommodate up to 151 cadets. Three holds were provided for cargo transportation on the vessel.

In the 1980s, the vessel was transferred to the Novorossiysk Higher Marine Engineering School and continued to serve the same purposes. In 2002, Professor Khlyustin was transferred to the Maritime State University named after admiral G.I. Nevelskoy and crossed the Suez Canal to the Russian Far East.

At the beginning of 2013, the vessel was modernized: several cadet cabins were modified into teacher cabins, and the training navigation room was restored. Upon completion of the modernization, Professor Khlyustin took part in a research expedition to the Novosibirsk Islands with a call at the seaport of Pevek.

In 2014, the vessel was transferred to the economic management of the FSUE “Rosmorport” Far Eastern Basin Branch and to date, along with Nadezhda, the training sailing vessel, has been used for its intended purpose – to train cadets of maritime universities in practical skills of sea duty. This year, the icebreaker Kapitan Khlebnikov, equipped with advanced equipment and mechanisms, will replace Professor Khlyustin, which mechanisms have exhausted their resources, which will have a positive impact on the training of cadets.

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For reference:

The main technical characteristics of Professor Khlyustin:

Type of the vessel:	KM ✠ L3 [1] Special purpose ship
Length:	122.15 m
Width:	17 m
Hull height:	9.9 m
Draft:	7.36 m
Gross registered tonnage:	6 200
Main engine unit:	1х4045 kW
Rate of sailing:	12 knots
Crew:	39 people
Special personnel:	126 people
Number of cabins for special personnel:	19 cadet cabins and 4 teacher cabins