MOSCOW, April 30. /TASS/. The newest ocean minesweeper Polyarny, a Project 12700 Alexandrit ship built for the Northern Fleet at the Sredne-Nevsky Shipyard, has been commissioned into the Russian Navy, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.

"A naval flag raising and commissioning ceremony was held in Baltiysk today for the newest ocean minesweeper Polyarny, a Project 12700 Alexandrit ship built for the Northern Fleet at the Sredne-Nevsky Shipyard," the ministry reported.

The ministry specified that the event was held under the leadership of Northern Fleet Commander-in-Chief Admiral Konstantin Kabantsov. Deputy CEO for Military Shipbuilding and Special Programs at the United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) Andrey Bogomolov, CEO of the Sredne-Nevsky Shipyard Sergey Karachkov, and service members of the Baltic Fleet’s Naval Base attended the ceremony. During the ceremony, the order of the Navy Commander-in-Chief Admiral Alexander Moiseyev was read out to assign the minesweeper to the Northern Fleet.

The ministry reported that the minesweeper Commander Captain 3rd Rank Vitaly Kabanov performed the ritual of the first raising of the St. Andrew's flag. Simultaneously with the raising of the St. Andrew’s flag, the national flag of the Russian Federation was lowered and handed over to the person responsible for delivering the ship.

It said that the raising of the St. Andrew's flag was preceded by the successful completion of factory sea trials and state tests, which took place at the Baltic Fleet's naval ranges. In particular, the ship's crew, together with representatives of the manufacturer, conducted maneuverability and speed trials in the Baltic Sea, checking the operation of all units, systems, and components, navigation and radio equipment, and weapons of the ship.

The Polyarny minesweeper

The seagoing minesweeper Polyarny is the 10th ship of Project 12700 to be commissioned into the Russian Navy. Its displacement is 890 tons, length is 61 meters, width is 10 meters, full load displacement speed is 16.5 knots, crew consists of over 40 sailors. The ship boasts high maneuverability due to the use of an effective system of various thrusters. The ship’s design incorporates a new approach to creating comfortable working conditions for the crew. The ships of this class are designed by the Almaz Central Marine Design Bureau and built by the Sredne-Nevsky Shipyard. These ships feature the world’s largest monolithic fiberglass hull, formed using a vacuum infusion method.