The Russian Black Sea Fleet's floating workshop PM-56 will depart in early October for the Syrian port of Tartous, the location of a Russian Navy logistics and supply center, a source in the Russian Navy Staff told Interfax-AVN on Monday.

"The PM-56 under the command of Capt. 2nd Rank Igor Bakuradze [Reserve] had a trial voyage today to prepare for the long-distance trip to the Mediterranean Sea. The floating workshop will move to the Sevastopol outer harbor on October 1 and will begin its voyage to Tartous then," he said.

The PM-56 crew will repair and service ships and vessels of the Russian Navy task force permanently deployed in the Mediterranean, he said.

As reported earlier, the Moskva missile cruiser under the command of Guard Capt. 1st Rank Alexander Shvarts has departed for the Mediterranean Sea. The Smetlivy destroyer under the command of Capt. 2nd Rank Andrei Zaitsev and the Pytlivy frigate under the command of Capt 2nd Rank Dmitry Dobrynsky are interacting with the missile cruiser.