Decision to establish Marine Rescue Service was adopted by Order of the Council of Ministers of the USSR dated August 23, 1956 No. 5128-p. According to this order, execution of ship lifting and underwater technical works for all civil departments was passed to the new service within the Ministry of Maritime Fleet of the USSR. For many years of its existence, MRS (Note. Abbreviated name of Federal Budgetary Institution “Marine Rescue Service” is also translated from Russian as “Morspassluzhba”) has undergone a number of structural and organizational changes, as a result of which, today, MRS is subordinated to the Federal Agency of Maritime and River Transport of the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation and controls twelve branches, organized on the basis of basin Emergency Salvage Deparments:-- Azov-Black Sea Branch;-- Arkhangelsk Branch;-- Baltic Branch;-- Kaliningrad Branch;-- Caspian Branch;-- Kamchatka Branch;-- Kazakhstan Branch;-- Primorsky Branch;-- Northern Branch;-- Sakhalin Branch.-- Tver Branch.-- Volgograd Branch.-- For the 60-year history, Marine Rescue Service has fulfilled a great number of unique operations, implemented the latest patterns of equipment and put into operation dozens of ships. Today the organization continues to replenish the fl eet, to equip with new models of equipment. As in former times, Marine Rescue Service remains a reliable and responsible partner for the marine industry in key areas of activities: • Provision of safety for works on off shore projects, including oil and oil products spill preparedness and response • Ocean and sea towage of watercrafts and complex structures, including off shore drilling platforms • Underwater technical (diving) works Provision of services by the fl eet, including by parent vessels for geophysical, geotechnical works and for the deployment and use of remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROV) • Deep water works using remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROV) • Emergency salvage and rescue works in the sea basins • Hydrometeorological observations and environmental surveys • Hydrographic works • Transportation of dangerous goods, including radioactive goods in specialized package • Training in the integrated training center
