Accommodation of Mistral Ships in Vladivostok May Cost RUR 2-3 Bln

02.08.2012 Quayside in Bolshoi Uliss Bay near Vladivostok is being reconstructed in order to accommodate Mistral-class amphibious assault ships bought fr om France for Russian Navy. Several meters away fr om the bay there is a high-cost bridge built to connect Vladivostok and the Russky Island wh ere the APEC Summit takes place in Sept 2012.

According to a source of Izvestiya in Russian defense ministry, to accommodate the French helicopter carriers, it is planned to reconstruct quayside of the bay, build new electric power station, and renew coastal infrastructure.

"Volume of works will be finally determined by the end of the year. The decision is to be made by defense minister Anatoly Serdiukov. We expect the plan to be approved by March 2013, and all works will be finished till the end of 2014 when Mistral-class ships join Russian Navy", explained the source.

As for him, reconstruction of the basing site would cost about RUR 2-3 bln, however, the price can be several times higher if it is decided to build a new base for Mistrals.

According to Pacific Fleet HQ, currently available quays are capable to accommodate Mistral-class landing ships without any reconstruction.

"Surface ships are quite versatile and can easily moor at old quays, in contrast to submarines. Arrival of new ships is by no means an extraordinary event for the fleet. For instance, in Soviet times three or four new ships used to arrive at Kamchatka every year, and there was always enough room for them", said the source in Pacific Fleet.

As for him, if the Navy command decides to build new quays for Mistral ships it will be necessary to construct a checkpoint, a new electrical substation or to connect quays to the available one, and fresh water supply lines. Also, separate torpedo and missile depots will be needed as well as helicopter base and landing craft base.

The source confirmed that the ships would be maintained by local ship repair plants, i.e. JSC Zvezda Shipyard and Dalzavod.

Housing facilities for crewmembers are ready; there is a residential area with vacant apartments in the Bolshoi Uliss Bay.

According to president of the Academy of Geopolitics Leonid Ivashov, it looks typical that the military still has not distinct view on the basing site for Mistrals. "At first, defense ministry buys costly ships and then wonders what to do with them. I talked with mariners, they're sure that such kind of a ship will be scuppered by the first big block she meets because of weak boards. It is still unclear why a landing ship must be stationed in Vladivostok at all", Ivashov asked himself.

As for him, as long as the Mistral sale had a purely political background of repairing relations with France, it makes no matter wh ere and how those ships will be based.

Length of a Mistral-class landing ship is 210 meters; she displaces 21,000 tons and is capable to accommodate 450-men landing party and 16 helicopters (12 ton each) in a 1,800-sq meter hangar. Operational range is up to 20,000 miles, speed is over 18 knots. French Navy operates two ships of such class.

Russian Navy Commander-in-Chief Viktor Chirkov earlier said that two Mistral-class amphibious assault ships named Vladivostok and Sevastopol would be stationed in Vladivostok and maintained by local ship repair plants.