Keel laid for Russian Navy's 14th Alexandrit-class minesweeper

The Sredne-Nevsky Shipbuilding Plant of Russia's state-owned United Shipbuilding Corporation laid the keel of a new Project 12700 mine countermeasures (MCM) vessel at its Saint Petersburg facilities on Friday, May 16.

The future Sergey Preminin will be the 14th in the Project 12700 series, otherwise known as the Alexandrit-class. The MCM vessel's namesake is Sergei Anatolyevich Preminin, a Soviet Navy sailor who was posthumously awarded the Hero of the Russian Federation decoration.

Upon completion, the MCM vessel will have a length of 61 metres, a beam of 10.2 metres, a draught of 2.68 metres, a displacement of approximately 890 tonnes at full load, and space for 44 crewmembers. The vessel will feature a vacuum-infused FRP hull combining light weight with enhanced durability.

Two 1,864kW diesel engines will drive rudder propellers to deliver speeds of up to 16.5 knots and a range of 1,600 nautical miles at a cruising speed of 10 knots.

The armament will include a 30mm close-in weapon system for use against light airborne and surface threats, mines, surface-to-air missiles, and pintle-mounted 14.5mm machine guns.