Almaz shipyard launched second corvette for Vietnamese Navy

25.04.2011 Shipbuilding company Almaz (St. Petersburg) launched the second Project 10412 corvette for Vietnamese Navy on Apr 22.

The corvette (hull number 044) was laid down at Almaz shipyard in June 2009 simultaneously with the same-type ship (hull number 045). Both corvettes were built under the order of Vietnamese Navy which already operates two such ships (hull numbers 040 and 041) also built by Almaz and delivered in 2002.

Project 10412 is based on perfectly combat-proved Project 10410 Svetlyak patrol ship developed by Almaz Design Bureau for Soviet KGB frontier service late in 80's. Svetlyak was meant to replace over 100 of Project 205P Tarantul patrol ships.

Thirty four Svetlyak class ships have been built for national and foreign customers since the project was launched; other 4 are presently under construction. In contrast to the basic project, Vietnamese version has no antisubmarine weapons; thus, such ship can be classified as patrol craft or gun boat. Having acquired the positive operational experience with the first two ships, Vietnamese Navy decided to order other 4 Svetlyak class ships – two from Almaz shipyard (St. Petersburg), and two from Vostochnaya Verf (Vladivostok). The first hull (number 045) was launched in Nov 2010. It is planned to complete all four ships and deliver to the customer in the current year. In accordance with the Vietnamese party's wish, the recent launching was held without press.

Almaz shipyard plans to conduct two remarkable events on Apr 29 – flag hoisting ceremony on board patrol craft PS-581 (hull number 050) and launching ceremony of small gun ship Volgodonsk which is the second Project 21630 ship (hull number 702).