German Frigate to Visit St. Petersburg

30.08.2012 German Navy's frigate Mecklenburg-Vorpommern performing training cruise in the Baltic Sea on Aug 31 will pay formal call at St. Petersburg. The guided missile frigate will moor at the Lt. Schmidt Embankment.

Visit program of the frigate includes a number of cultural activities; German mariners will go sightseeing and visit palaces and museums of the Russia's 'Northern Capital'. Crewmembers of the German warship will visit the museum cruiser Avrora.

One of the key activities will be visiting of the Piskarevskoye Memorial Cemetery. Representatives of German consulate general in Russia will attend the wreath-laying ceremony.

In Sept 1-2, frigate Mecklenburg will be open for visiting by locals and guests of St. Petersburg. Every one will be allowed to familiarize with the ship's design, living and service conditions of German sailors.

Commissioned in 1996, guided missile frigate Mecklenburg earlier paid an informal visit to St. Petersburg in Aug 2009. Prior to that, her crewmen distinguished themselves in the EU anti-piracy mission nearby the Horn of Africa. In Dec 2008, the ship prevented pirating of cruise liner Astor heading from Sharm el-Sheikh to Dubai with 600 tourists onboard.

Russian Baltic Fleet (BF) warships also visited German ports this year. In particular, landing ship Kaliningrad called at Kiel in June.

Formal visit of German frigate Mecklenburg to St. Petersburg will finish on Sept 3.