Berth built for Mistral-class ship in Sevastopol to accommodate frigates of 'Admiral' series
SEVASTOPOL. June 4 (Interfax-AVN) - Infrastructures of the berth built at the Black Sea Fleet's main base for the Mistral-class helicopter carrier Sevastopol will be modified to accommodate frigates of Project 11356, a source in the Black Sea Fleet Staff has told Interfax-AVN.
"The ninth berth in the central bay of the port, which has been adjusted to the needs of the Sevastopol helicopter carrier, will be transformed to accommodate the lead frigate Admiral Grigorovich and other ships of the 'Admiral' series," he said.
In his opinion, the second-rank ships will feel comfortable at the new berth.
Two Mistral-class helicopter carriers were built in France for the Russian Navy, and the first of them, the Vladivostok, was due to be delivered in the fall of 2014. Yet Paris indefinitely postponed the delivery over the situation in Ukraine. The delivery of the second ship, the Sevastopol, was due in the fall of 2015.
The Black Sea Fleet has formed crews for the first three frigates, the Admiral Grigorovich, Admiral Essen and Admiral Makarov. The lead ship of the series is planned to arrive this fall. The Admiral Grigorovich is undergoing state trials, which will end in August, and the second ship is being prepared for factory tests. The rest of the ships, the Admiral Butakov, Admiral Istomin and Admiral Kornilov, are at different stages of construction at the Kaliningrad Yantar shipyard.