OEC comprises the Atlantic fleet base (AFB) in Kaliningrad and the Pacific fleet base (PFB) in Vladivostok which must become the largest bases of the research fleet in Russia.

As of February 2017 AFB has under its operative control the research vessels (RV): Akademik Sergey Vavilov, Akademik Ioffe, Akademik Mstislav Keldysh, Akademik Nikolaj Strakhov, Professor Shtokman. In accordance with the decision of FASO the AFB fleet will be supplemented by RV Akademik Boris Petrov, after returning from an integrated scientific expedition in the Indian ocean.

In the nearest time the following RV will transfer to PFB from the Department of Research Fleet of the RAS Far East section: Akademik Oparin, Akademik M.A.Lavrentyev, Professor Bogorov, Professor Gagarinskiy.