22.06.2012
Construction of hull sections for Mistral-class amphibious ships for Russian Navy will be kicked off at Baltiysky Zavod shipyard (St. Petersburg) in Aug 2012. Part of Mistral landing ships ordered by Rosoboronexport from French DCNS in June 2011 will be constructed in Russia under the technology transfer contract.
Purpose of the contract is to take advantage from the program in order to modernize plant and equipment of Russian shipyards as well as improve working methods. Thus, sections for
Mistral ships will be built in St. Petersburg with French shipwrights involved, including those from
STX France. The
Mistral project was designed by
DCNS and implemented by a shipyard in Saint-Nazaire. Several weeks after completion of the third
Mistral-class ship for French Navy,
Dixmude, the works on the first Russian ship will be started at
STX France shipyard.
Teams of Russian shipbuilders are getting familiarized with operating procedures of French yards. Deliveries of
Mistral-class landing ships
Vladivostok and
Sevastopol to Russian Navy are scheduled in 2014 and 2015. Up to 80% of the first exported ship will be made by
STX, and about 20 percent – by
Baltiysky Zavod in Russia. In accordance with the contract, Russia's part in the second ship's construction will be increased twice. While two first
Mistral ships will be made in Saint-Nazaire, the parties are negotiating on building of the other two ships in Russia.
