A new ship for deep-sea research will enter service with the Russian Navy later this month, officials said on Wednesday, June 20.

The Seliger has set sail for the Azov port of Timryuk, where it will be based, its maker said.

The Navy was initially scheduled to receive the vessel earlier in June, but bureaucratic hurdles delayed the handover, said a spokesman for the Yantar Shipyard in Russia's Baltic enclave of Kaliningrad.

The ship will be used for deep-sea research, search and rescue operations and for equipment tests, RIA Novosti reported.