Navy commander: 11 combat ships of Ukrainian Navy to be overhauled in 2012

Eleven combat ships of the Ukrainian Navy are to be overhauled in 2012, the press service of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry reported on Thursday, Aug. 2.

Plans to restore the technical readiness of the Ukrainian Navy's ships were unveiled at a meeting led by the navy's commander, Vice Admiral Yuriy Ilyin.

He said that scheduled repairs on the restoration of the technical readiness were currently being conducted on seven ships of the Ukrainian Navy.

The overhaul of the warship Pereyaslav has already been launched by the Black Sea Shipyard (Mykolaiv). Next week the Black Sea Shipyard will start repairing the Kostiantyn Olshansky, a large landing ship, and in early September the shipyard will start repairing the missile corvette Prydniprovia, Ilyin said.

He said that preparations were currently being conducted for the repair of the Hetman Sahaidachny frigate at Sevastopol Ordzhonikidze Shipyard. The ship will be repaired in accordance with a comprehensive plan to prepare it for participation in the Ocean Shield anti-piracy operation, he said.

"All of these ships will be overhauled – 'from keel to mast.' This is convincing evidence that the leadership of the state and the Defense Ministry are showing concern for the navy, by changing strategies and approaches to the repair of ships," the ministry's press service quoted Ilyin as saying.

He said that the navy had already received Hr 172 million in 2012 as part of the budget program on the restoration of the combat readiness, maintenance, operation and repair of weapons and military equipment. Last year, only Hr 36 million was allocated for this purpose, he said.