The launch ceremony for the Afanasy Ivannikov minesweeper was held in St. Petersburg

The launch ceremony for the Afanasy Ivannikov minesweeper was held in St. Petersburg The minesweeper was named after Soviet Hero Afanasy Ivannikov, who fought in the Great Patriotic War. Laid down at the Sredne-Nevsky Shipyard, the ship became the ninth vessel built as part of Project 12700. The naval vessel with a maximum speed of around 16 knots has a displacement of some 890 tons, and has a crew of 44. The main feature of ships of this class is their unique monolithic fiberglass hull, the world’s largest, that is highly durable. Provided the operation standards for these vessels are observed, they can have an unlimited service life. Photo/Video: Alexander Demianchuk/TASS Source: TASS Russian news agency