The 26-sail Mir is a class A ship which can carry a crew of up to 300.

The 22-year-old vessel is based at St Petersburg, and is one of four new ships to join the already impressive line-up which has committed to the Hartlepool leg of next year's Tall Ships Races.

The others are the class B ship Swan from the UK and the class C ships Neva and Zvezda, both from Russia.

It takes the list of competitors in next year's Hartlepool leg to 37 with nine months still to go until the spectacle arrives in town.

The Mir is a familiar sight in Tall Ships races and its imposing design often results in being selected to lead the other vessels out of port at the end of each leg.

Tall Ships Project Manager Michelle Daurat said: "We are thrilled with the number of vessels that are already signed up for the event next August.

"It brings the total to 37, of which 13 are Class A. These are any ships that are more than 120 feet in length, including the massive square-rigged vessels like Mir.

"Sail Training International, the charity behind The Tall Ships Races, is really happy with the excellent progress we are making in planning this landmark event for Hartlepool."

The first leg of next year's races will see the ships stay in Antwerp in Belgium from July 10-13.

They will then set sail for Aalborg in Denmark where they will stay from July 21-24. The ships will then travel to Kristiansand, in Norway, where they will stay from July 29-August 1.

They will set sail on Sunday, August 1, 2010 to embark on the second race of The Tall Ships Races 2010 heading for Hartlepool.

The town hosts the ships from August 7-10 next year.

The Tall Ships Races are expected to attract a million visitors to Hartlepool.