OREANDA-NEWS. December 30, 2010. Baltic Shipyard Yantar (part of Western Shipbuilding Center) is planning to launch the Seliger, a Research Vessel before May 9, 2011, the company’s press service said. The newbuild order has bee completed by about 40%. Since the construction was purely funded by the Customer, the Russian Ministry of Defense, the shipbuilder had to obtain a credit facility.

Next year, the order is expected to be paid by the Customer in full. The ship delivery to the Defense Ministry is scheduled for November 2011. Earlier reports said the Seliger was to be delivered by the end of 2010.

The lead RV Seliger of Project 11982 (CMDB Almaz) was laid down on July 8, 2009. The ship’s length is 59.7 m, beam - 10,8 m, displacement - about 1,100 tons.

Baltiysk-based Shipyard Yantar was founded in July 8,1945 on the basis of Koenigsberg F. Schichau shipyard. The company specializes in construction and ship repair of small and medium vessels for military and civil purposes. Throughout the years the Shipyard has built 154 warships and more than 500 merchant vessels. Currently, the major stakeholder of Baltiysk Shipyard Yantar is the state-owned Western Center of Shipbuilding, a subsidiary of United Shipbuilding Corporation.