According to information published by the "Topwar" website on January 12, 2022, the Georgy Kurbatov Alexandrit-class Project 12700 minesweeper from the Russian Navy arrived at the Black Sea Fleet mainbase in Sebastopol.
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Project 12700, Alexandrit-class minesweeper Georgy Kurbatov transited Dardanelles towards Marmara. (Picture source Twitter account Yörük Işık)
On August 2021, Navy Recognition reported that the minesweeper Georgy Kurbatov has joined the Russian Navy. The Russian Ministry of Defence plans to acquire a total of 40 Project 12700 mine-sweeping vessels for the Russian Navy by 2035.
The newest Project 12700 minesweeper entered the Black Sea Fleet mainbase on January 12, 2022, during an official ceremony that was attended by the commander of the Crimean naval base, Rear Admiral Felix Menkov, veterans of the water area protection unit, and the personnel of the base.
The Georgy Kurbatov is the first serial minesweeper of project 12700 Alexandrite-class. She was laid down in April 2015, after the lead ship of the series Alexander Obukhov. The ship was launched in September 2020 and commissioned in August 2021.
The Alexandrit class, Russian designation Project 12700 is the newest class of Russian minesweepers designed by Almaz and being built by the Sredne-Nevsky Shipyard for the Russian Navy.
Citing the Naval-Technology website, the Alexandrit-class features a solid mono-hull made of glass-reinforced plastics. The hull is formed using vacuum infusion methods. It offers high strength to increase survivability during mine clearance operations. The lightweight and robust construction also ensures longer life than the low-magnetic steel hull.
The main feature of project 12700 is a monolithic fiberglass hull shaped by vacuum infusion, a modern construction method that results in a lighter hull with longer service life. The ships of the class are designed to use various flails, as well as remotely controlled and autonomous unmanned underwater vehicles and unmanned surface vehicles to disable or destroy mines at safe distances.
The Project 12700-class is armed with 9K38 Igla short-range surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems, a 30mm AK-306 gun mount, an MTPU 14.5mm marine pedestal machine-gun mount, as well as UDM, MTPK, and PMR series of mines.
The Georgy Kurbatov Project 12700 has a length of 61.0 m, a beam of 10.2 m, a draught of 2.68 m, and a fully loaded displacement of 890 tons. The ship is powered by two M-503M1 diesel engines, each developing a maximum power output of 1,864 kW. She can reach a top speed of 16.5 knots (31 km/h) with a maximum cruising range of 1,600 nautical miles (3,000 km) at 10 knots (19 km/h).
