Russian crew of Mistral-class helicopter carrier Vladivostok has another sea trial
ST. PETERSBURG. Oct 24 (Interfax-AVN) - The Vladivostok Mistral-class helicopter carrier manned by a Russian crew has accomplished a training mission and returned to Saint Nazaire, the location of the French STX shipyard, a source in the Russian Navy Staff told Interfax-AVN on Friday.
"The Vladivostok returned to the Saint Nazaire dock yesterday. The weeklong sea trials were successful. Our sailors have once again practiced operation of the ship in the Bay of Biscay. Mistakes made during the previous voyages have been corrected," the source said.
He added that the Vladivostok was flying the French flag.
The Russian Navy Staff said earlier that the Russian crew was ready to control the ship.
Four hundred Russian sailors arrived in Saint Nazaire aboard the Smolny training ship on June 30 for being coached to operate the Mistral-class helicopter carrier.
The delivery of the Vladivostok ship to the Russian Navy was scheduled for November 4, 2014, and the Sevastopol ship was supposed to be delivered in fall 2015.
French Ambassador to Russia Jean-Maurice Ripert said earlier it was so far impossible to hand over Mistral-class helicopter carriers to Russia because of the unattained political settlement in Ukraine.
