ST. PETERSBURG. June 27 (Interfax-AVN) - The new-generation mine countermeasure vessel Alexander Obukhov (Project 12700) was floated out at the Sredne-Nevsky Shipyard on Friday, an Interfax-AVN correspondent has reported.
The ceremony was attended by Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yury Borisov, Russian Navy Commander-in-Chief Admiral Viktor Chirkov, representatives of the United Shipbuilding Corporation, employees of the Sredne-Nevsky Shipyard, and the crew of the vessel.
The vessel will be provided to the Russian Navy in the fourth quarter of 2015, the enterprise told reporters. "The mine countermeasures vessel Alexander Obukhov will join the Northern Fleet. Under the contract, another three such vessels will be built for the Navy in the nearest future. They will be provided to the Pacific Fleet, the Baltic Fleet, and the Black Sea Fleet," the source said.
The mine countermeasure vessel was designed by the Central Sea Construction Bureau Almaz. It is intended for locating and destroying mines in the water zones of naval bases at a safe distance.
The vessel was named Alexander Obukhov in honor of the famous Baltic fleet boat commander and Hero of the Soviet Union (1917-2009). The vessel has a displacement of 890 tonnes, is 61 meters long, 10 meters wide, its speed at full displacement is 16.5 knots, and it has a crew of 44 people.
The minesweeper can use various types of sweeping gear and remote-controlled and autonomous unmanned underwater devices.
The Alexander Obukhov is the head ship of the series. The Sredne-Nevsky Shipyard signed a contract with the Russian Defense Ministry in April 2014 for the construction of three series ships of this project. Under the terms of the contract, the series ships will be commissioned in 2016-2018.