On 21 April 2017, Kaliningrad-based Baltic Shipbuilding Plant “Yantar” (Yantar Shipyard, United Shipbuilding Corporation) laid down the lead ship of Project 23700 intended for support of rescue operations, says press center of the shipyard.
The plaque dedicated to keel-laying was fixed to a vessel section by Acting Governor of the Kaliningrad Region Anton Alikhanov, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Oleg Ryazantsev, USC President Aleksei Rakhmanov and Chief Designer of Severnoye Design Bureau Vladimir Spiridopulo.
The Voyevoda is a lead rescue support ship of Project 23700 designed by Severnoye Design Bureau. It was ordered by RF Ministry of Industry and Trade.
Under the contract signed in December 2016, the ship is to be delivered to the customer in November 2019. The ship will be operated by the Federal Marine and River Transport Agency (Rosmorrechflot).
The ship of project 23700 is intended for support of rescue operations, transportation and supply of small-size search and rescue floating crafts. The ship can carry 4 boats and 2 helicopters. Displacement – 7,500 t, length – 111 m, width – 24 m, speed – 22 knots, cruising range – 5,000 miles.
“Development of civil shipbuilding is dictated by the time and we meet the demand properly. The shipyard is building two research vessels, a month ago we laid down the third trawler for Kamchatka fishery. Today, we make a new step towards our strategic development – we embark on an absolutely new project,” said Eduard Yefimov, Director General of Yantar Shipyard.
Oleg Ryazantsev, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, congratulated the management and the staff of Yantar Shipyard with the keel-laying of the innovative ship for rescue operations. According to him, laying down of the Voyevoda, is among recent achievement of domestic shipbuilding.
Kaliningrad-based Baltic Shipbuilding Plant “Yantar” (Yantar Shipyard) was founded on July 8, 1945 on the basis of a Koenigsberg unit of German’s Schichau Werft. Yantar Shipyard specializes in building and repair of warships and civil boats. Throughout the years the Shipyard has built 160 warships and more than 500 merchant vessels. The Russian Government holds majority stake in the shipbuilding firm through Western Center of Shipbuilding, a subsidiary of state-owned United Shipbuilding Corporation.
United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC OJSC) is the largest shipbuilding company in Russia. It was set up in 2007 with 100% federal ownership. The holding comprises 40 companies and organizations (major shipbuilding and shiprepairing companies as well as leading design bureaus). Currently, USC consolidates the bulk of the domestic shipbuilding complex. The Russian market is the main focus of the state corporation though it also exports its products to 20 countries worldwide.