ST. PETERSBURG. April 14 (Interfax) - The Sredne-Nevsky Shipyard, a St. Petersburg enterprise of the United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC), has launched the eighth minesweeper of Project 12700 Alexandrit, the Lev Chernavin is the seventh serial ship of this class, an Interfax correspondent reported from the launch ceremony.
The Lev Chernavin will join the Russian Baltic Fleet as early as this year, Russian Navy Deputy Commander for Armaments Igor Mukhametshin said.
"Ships of this project have proven their high seaworthiness and combat characteristics during missions in various parts of the World Ocean," he said.
The series of Project 12700 ships will be continued, Mukhametshin said.
"I'd rather not disclose every secret about their number but rest assured that the shipyard will have work to do for many years," he told reporters.
The Lev Chernavin keel was laid in 2020.
The USC's Almaz Central Marine Design Bureau is the author of Project 12700. These are next-generation minesweepers capable of tracking mines in waters and on the bottom without entering the danger zone. The ships use various kinds of sweeps and remotely controlled and autonomous submersibles to clear mines.
Ships of Project 12700 have a displacement of 890 tonnes, a length of 62 meters, a width of about ten meters, a full speed of about 16 knots, and a crew of over 40.