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Quayside in Bolshoi Uliss Bay near Vladivostok is being reconstructed in order to accommodate Mistral-class amphibious assault ships bought fr om France for Russian Navy. Several meters away fr om the bay there is a high-cost bridge built to connect Vladivostok and the Russky Island wh ere the APEC Summit takes place in Sept 2012.
According to a source of Izvestiya in Russian defense ministry, to accommodate the French helicopter carriers, it is planned to reconstruct quayside of the bay, build new electric power station, and renew coastal infrastructure.
"Volume of works will be finally determined by the end of the year. The decision is to be made by defense minister Anatoly Serdiukov. We expect the plan to be approved by March 2013, and all works will be finished till the end of 2014 when Mistral-class ships join Russian Navy", explained the source.
As for him, reconstruction of the basing site would cost about RUR 2-3 bln, however, the price can be several times higher if it is decided to build a new base for Mistrals.
According to Pacific Fleet HQ, currently available quays are capable to accommodate Mistral-class landing ships without any reconstruction.
Read the full story at RusNavy