BPS holds steel cutting for the first of two Mistral ships
LLC Baltic Plant-Shipbuilding on August 1, 2012 held a steel-cutting ceremony for a block of the first of two helicopter carriers of Mistral type, the United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) press release said. The works are performed in scheduled time.
Steel cutting for the second warship is scheduled for May 2012. The ship’s keel laying is scheduled for October 1, 2012
The Baltic Plant was contracted to build blocks for the hulls of the two amphibious assault ships. Admiralty Shipyards is the contractor-designer.
In June 2011, Russia’s Rosoboronexport and the French DCNS signed a contract for two French multipurpose amphibious assault ship of Mistral-class for the Russian Ministry of Defense. USC was named as a subcontractor: the Corporation will build 24 hull blocks (aft of both ships), which represents 40% of its hulls. Then, the completed blocks will be transported to France, for further assembly at Saint-Nazaire Shipyard.
The helicopter carriers will be commissioned into service with the Russian Northern and the Pacific fleets in 2014 and 2015.
LLC Baltic Plant-Shipbuilding (former OJSC Baltiysky Zavod, BZS) is part of United Shipbuilding Corporation. The company was founded in late 2011 under the new brand name after the former company Baltic Plant went bankrupt due to poor management of the former owner. The shipbuilding company specializes in the construction of warships, large-tonnage civil vessels for transportation of different cargoes, nuclear-powered or diesel icebreakers. The enterprise builds cargo and passenger ships - Ro-Ro, Ro-Pax vessels, product carriers, dry bulk carriers, etc.
United Shipbuilding Corporation was founded in 2007 as a 100-percent state-owned group of companies consolidating about 70% of domestic shipbuilding industry. UCS currently incorporates three regional shipbuilding centers, nine engineering and design offices and 39 dockyards. The Corp’s largest shipbuilding assets include Kaliningrad-based JSC Yantar Shipyard, JSC Admiralty Shipyards (St. Petersburg), JSC PA Sevmash (Severodvinsk), JSC DVZ Zvezda (Vladivostok). Besides, USC holds a 50% stake in Arctech Helsinki Shipyard, a joint venture with STX Finland Cruise Oy.