On March 4, the first passenger voyage of 2026 to the Svalbard archipelago will depart from Murmansk. Transport links will be provided by the research vessel (R/V) "Professor Molchanov." The line is operated by the Arktikugol trust, and the project was supported by the Russian Ministry for the Development of the Far East and Arctic and the government of the Murmansk Region.
This year, the vessel will complete 10 round trips on the Murmansk — Barentsburg route. The main purpose of the regular service is to transport the trust's personnel, employees of contractor organizations, researchers, and their family members.
In addition to passengers, the R/V "Professor Molchanov" delivers cargo to supply Russian settlements on the archipelago. Food products and essential materials needed to sustain the settlements are loaded into the holds.
The vessel has capacity for 56 people. The voyage from Murmansk to Svalbard takes three days. The ship remains in the port of Barentsburg for five days, after which it returns.
"Professor Molchanov" is an Akademik Shuleykin-class research vessel (R/V). It was named after Pavel Molchanov, a Russian and Soviet meteorologist, inventor, and tester of the world's first radiosonde.
Technical specifications of the vessel:
- displacement — 1,753 t
- length — 71.06 m
- beam — 12.8 m
- height — 6.45 m
- draft — 4.5 m
- power — 2 x 1,147 kW
- speed — 14 knots (cruising)
- endurance — 70 days
- crew — 32 (20–25)
- passenger capacity — 48–49.
Read more on the topic:
- The APU-2025 expedition aboard the research vessel "Professor Molchanov" made 56 stops
- The Arctic Floating University aboard the ship "Professor Molchanov" began oceanographic work in the Barents Sea
- Belogorodskaya Shipyard launched the research vessel "Vikentiy Zaitsev"
