MOSCOW, September 30. /TASS/. The launching ceremony for the newest Project 12700 Alexandrit minesweeper, the Semyon Agafonov, took place in St. Petersburg at the Sredne-Nevsky Shipyard (part of the United Shipbuilding Corporation, USC), the Russian Defense Ministry reported.

"The newest naval minesweeper Semyon Agafonov has been launched for the Russian Navy. The ceremonial launch of the 12th ship in the series was attended by Navy Deputy Commander-in-Chief for Armaments Vice Admiral Igor Mukhametshin, USC Deputy CEO for Military Shipbuilding and Special Programs Andrey Bogomolov, representatives of the St. Petersburg government, CEO of the Sredne-Nevsky Shipyard Sergey Karachkov, Chief Engineer of USC’s Almaz Design Bureau Mikhail Alyoshin, and other distinguished guests," the ministry stated.

As Mukhametshin noted, ships of this class are currently successfully carrying out missions in all of Russia’s seas. "Today is a remarkable event that demonstrates the correctness of the decisions made at the time by the leadership of the Russian Navy, the Defense Ministry, and our shipbuilding industry regarding the organization of the construction of series-production ships of this class at the Sredne-Nevsky Shipyard. We have mastered the most complex technology," Mukhametshin noted in his speech.

A ship-blessing ritual was performed, followed by the traditional breaking of a bottle of champagne against the hull as part of the ceremony. Marina Liberova, deputy head of the Sredne-Nevsky Shipyard’s production and dispatch department, became the ship’s godmother. She has worked at the company for 20 years and oversees the mechanical engineering division.

Outfitting work will start at the ship immediately after the launch.

By order of the Russian Navy’s commander-in-chief, the ship was named after Hero of the Soviet Union Semyon Agafonov, who served in the 181st Special Reconnaissance Detachment of the Northern Fleet during WWII. He carried out 50 missions and participated in raids behind enemy lines. In October 1944, Agafonov took part in the Petsamo-Kirkenes Operation and the battle for the German battery at Cape Krestovy, which controlled the entrance to Pechenga Bay. On November 5, 1944, Semyon Agafonov was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

The Project 12700 naval minesweeper Semyon Agafonov was laid down in a ceremony on January 18, 2024. Project 12700 was developed by the Almaz Design Bureau. The keel-laying took place at the Sredne-Nevsky Shipyard. The Alexandrit class is designed to search for and destroy sea mines and provide mine countermeasures. One of the project’s key features is a monolithic fiberglass hull formed using the vacuum infusion method.