The Russian Navy has raised the St Andrew’s flag on its second Alexandrit-class minesweeper Georgiy Kurbatov in a ceremony in Baltiysk.
The Project 12700 minesweeper entered service on August 20, after being handed over by the Sredne-Nevsky Shipyard, a subsidiary of the JSC United Shipbuilding Corporation.
While the first ship in the class, Aleksandr Obukhov, is serving with the Baltic fleet, Georgiy Kurbatov will be part of the Black Sea Fleet.
What is interesting is the fact that the Georgiy Kurbatov is actually the sixth ship in its class to enter service. The most probable reason for such a mix-up in the delivery schedule is the fact that it was damaged by fire while under construction in 2016. Shipyard officials initially claimed the incident would not affect the ship’s delivery scheduled, but this appears to not have been the case.
According to the shipbuilder, Alexandrit-class minesweepers are the world’s largest ships with solid fiberglass monohulls. They measure 61 meters in length and displace 980 tons. With a crew of 44, they are tasked with clearing mines in harbors and busy sea lanes.
In addition to using traditional mine-sweeping equipment, the ships will also be capable of deploying remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), and unmanned surface vessels (USVs).
Russia currently plans to build a total of 12 ships in the class.
