Motor ships of the type SORMOVSKIY or LENINSKIY KOMSOMOL of different variants (projects 1557, 488/A, 488/AM, 488/AM2, 488/AM3, 488/AM4 and 614) are the big dry cargo "river-sea" ships, which have four covered holds, with forecastle and quarter-deck, with double boards and double bottom, with machine compartment and superstructure in the rear part. Ships are intended basically for carrying of bulk cargoes, general cargoes and timber.
Type "Sormovskiy" was to continue the series of the "river-sea" ships with similar architecture, which was begun with the type "Baltiyskiy" (project 781) and the type "Volgo-Balt" (project 791). Ships have strengthened hull, more modern equipment, but many details of the construction of the superstructure are got from the predecessors. Newer ships have new hatch covers and they are distinguished by modern wide windows in the wheel-house. The main series of the ships of the type "Sormovskiy" are of the project 1557. Project 614 is

a bulgarian modification with the increased cargo-carrying capacity. Project 488/A and its variants is a portugal modification with the other superstructure, lengthened hull, increased machine power and cargo-carrying capacity, smaller angle of boards at the bow. Ships of the project 488/AM4 differ by the new superstructure and the auto-launching lifeboat. On the base of the project 1557 dry and liquid cargo combination ships of the type "Nefterudovoz" (project 1570) were developed.
Ships of the project 1557 were built since 1967 till 1986 in the USSR. 122 units were built, among them: 87 on "Krasnoe Sormovo" plant (ships were assigned serial numbers starting from one), 35 on Rybinsk plant (numbers starting from one hundred). Ships of the project 614 were built since 1981 till 1983 in Bulgaria. 9 units were built (ships were assigned numbers starting from 3001). Ships of the project 488/A and its variants were built since 1978 till 1990 in Portugal. 25 units were built (ships were assigned numbers starting from 3051). Becides the ships with serial numbers many ships got their own specific names; there was no consecutive numbering in the soviet series.
Ships are mainly operated on foreign coastal lines on Baltic sea (Poland, Germany, Nederlands, Great Britain), on Azov, Black and Caspian seas (Ukraine, Iran, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Bulgaria) with the possibility of passing Volga, Don rivers, Volga-Don, Moscow-Volga, White sea - Baltic canals and Volga-Balt waterway. In 90-ties some ships were sold to different other shipping companies, including foreign ones, and registered under "comfortable" flags. At least one ship is written off, one ship sank in 1999, another - in 2001.