Russian, French warships perform joint maneuvers
SEVEROMORSK. June 18 (Interfax-AVN) - A joint Passex Russian-French exercise has ended in the Barents Sea, Northern Fleet spokesman 2nd rank Captain Yevgeny Kirillov said.
"During the joint exercise the ships fulfilled the task of repelling attacks by fast speed boats, performed live firing at surface targets, joint maneuvering, communications training, and exchanged data on the situation in the training area," Kirillov told Interfax-AVN on Monday.
The exercise involved the Northern Fleet's Alexander Otrakovsky large landing ship and the French Navy's De Grasse frigate, he said.
"The most difficult part of the joint exercise was an episode involving cargo handover on the move, when the ships following parallel courses narrowed the gap between them to 50 meters," Kirillov said.
The joint naval maneuvers in the Barents Sea were the final stage of the French frigate's visit to Severomorsk, the main base of the Northern Fleet.
"The previous Passex exercise was held with the French Navy in 2010. At the time it involved the Pyotr Veliky heavy nuclear-powered missile cruiser which was on a visit to the port of Brest, the main French naval base on the Atlantic coast," Kirillov said.
