The Zvezdochka yard on the 20 December offically started the construction of the ”Akademik Kovalyov”, a military transport vessel of the 20180TV-class. The 107 meter long ship will be built to resist the harsh ice conditions of the Arctic, the yard informs in a press release.
The ship will be able to take on various tasks of military transportation, includind of the K-29 helicopters. It will enter service in the Russian Navy in late 2014, the yard informs.
A crew of 60 people will run the 6300 ton deadweight vessel.
Speaking to the press, yard Director Vladimir Nikitin says that the Zvezdochka company is in the process of expanding into new kinds of shipbuilding. –Now we are not only able to repair and modernize submarines, but we also launch new technologically advanced vessels, he told Rossiiskaya Gazeta.
