SEVASTOPOL, January 12. /TASS/. Russia’s latest cutting-edge minesweeper, the Georgy Kurbatov, accepted for service with the Russian Black Sea Fleet in the summer of 2021, has arrived in Sevastopol, the Fleet’s press office announced on Wednesday.

"The crew completed its inter-fleet passage from the Baltic to the Black Sea Fleet, during which it covered a distance of over 5,000 nautical miles, withstood rough seas of 7 points twice, 6 points once and 5 points three times, which proved to be an unscheduled test of the ship’s sea-going capacities and the crew’s professionalism," the press office said in a statement.

The new warship’s welcome ceremony in Sevastopol was attended by Crimean Naval Base Commander Rear Admiral Feliks Menkov, veterans of the Black Sea Fleet’s water area protection force, and members of public organizations and the clergy, the press office specified.

"The crew was welcomed by a military orchestra, with bread and salt [the traditional Russian hospitality ceremony] and a traditional roasted piglet," the statement says.

The cutting-edge minesweeper Georgy Kurbatov was built at the Sredne-Nevsky Shipyard in St. Petersburg, Russia, and accepted for service with the Black Sea Fleet in August 2021. The vessel is the Project 12700 third minesweeper operational in the Black Sea Fleet.

The hull of the Georgy Kurbatov is made of composite materials. It displaces 890 tonnes, is 61 meters long and 10 meters wide, and accelerates to a speed of 16.5 knots at its full displacement, and has a crew of over 40. The warship is highly maneuverable through the use of an effective system of various thrusters. The minesweeper’s design incorporates a new approach to creating comfortable conditions for the crew’s service, the press office said.