Russia plans two new vessels for Lake Baikal research

The construction of two new research ships for the Limnological Institute in Siberia is slated for completion by 2030, expanding a fleet that currently consists of only four vessels.

Jan 28, 2026

The plan to build two new ships aims to enhance scientific work on the deep waters of Lake Baikal.
Source:
Alyona Kashparova / «IrCity»

The construction of two research vessels for the Limnological Institute, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (LIN SB RAS), has been included in Russia«s prospective plan for civil shipbuilding through 2035, according to a post on the Telegram channel of the Irkutsk branch of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

A design sketch shows one of the planned research vessels intended for limnological studies.
Source:
Irkutsk Branch of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences / T.me

According to a published document on the LIN SB RAS website, the first vessel should be delivered in 2028, with the second planned for construction by 2030. The contractors will be AO Tsenter Sudoremonta «Zvezdochka» (Zvezdochka Ship Repair Center) and OOO «Livadiyskiy Remontno-Sudostroitelnyy Zavod» (Livadiya Shipbuilding and Repair Plant). The total cost is set at 1.8 billion rubles ($20 million at current rates), the document states.

The institute«s current scientific fleet consists of four research vessels with displacements from 40 to 500 tons, equipped with all necessary gear for collecting samples of Baikal organisms, water, and bottom sediments. The new ships will expand the institute scientists» capabilities in studying Lake Baikal«s unique ecosystem, the announcement notes.