Astrakhan Ship Repair Yard lays down rescue tugboat of Project 22870 named Mikhail Chekov
Astrakhan Ship Repair Yard, a branch of Ship Repair Center ‘Zvezdochka’ (United Shipbuilding Corporation) has held the keel-laying ceremony for the tugboat of Project 22870, Mikhail Chekov, ordered by RF Defence Ministry, Zvezdochka says in a press release.
The ceremony was attended by representatives of RF Navy, Astrakhan and Astrakhan Region authorities, shipyard personnel.
The ship of Project 22870 designed by Nizhny Novgorod based DB Vympel is intended for towing and refloating operations, firefighting and rendering medical assistance, executing difficult diving works at the depths of up to 60 metres, collecting spilled oil products, search and survey operations.
The new ship will be named after Black Sea Officer Mikhail Chekov, commander of the rescue teams involved in lifting of ships sunken in the years of the Great Patriotic War in the water areas of the Black Sea ports.
The Mikhail Chekov will be the seventh ship of 22870 design built in Astrakhan. The lead ship was delivered to RF navy in 2014.
Ship characteristics: length – 57 meters, width – 14 meters, displacement max – 1,605 tonnes, speed – 14 knots.
Zvezdochka Ship Repair Centre (a company of United Shipbuilding Corporation) was established in 1954. Apart from the head organization in Severodvinsk, Zvezdochka has branches on the Barents, White, Azov, Black and Caspian Seas.
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.
