IVAN KIREEV

The vessel is designed to carry out a range of hydrographic and hydrological research in the world’s oceans, including in tropical and Arctic regions. It was originally built as a hydrographic research vessel. After its modernisation, it is capable of performing geophysical surveys and other types of studies, including pipeline route surveys, seabed inspections, hydrographic charting, and engineering, geological, or environmental sampling.
The vessel is owned and operated by the sanctioned russian company FSUE Hydrographic Enterprise (ФДУП "Гидрографическое предприятие"), which operates one of the largest dredging fleets in russia. It is the only entity in russia that produces and provides navigation information for the Northern Sea Route, primarily to large crude oil and LNG tankers, covering the most navigationally challenging sections of the route. FSUE Hydrographic Enterprise has conducted dredging operations for a number of major russian energy projects, including the Vostok Oil project.
In May 2023, the United States imposed sanctions on four research vessels operated by FSUE Hydrographic Enterprise, including the vessel IMO 7423275, as part of a broader designation package targeting entities involved in expanding russia’s future electricity generation and export capacity in strategic sectors.