Kazakhstan Navy commissions its first minesweeper ‘Alatau’

The Kazakhstan Navy commissioned its first mine sweeping ship ‘Alatau’ during a ceremony held June 1 in Aktau, a city on the east bank of the Caspian Sea.

The ship was built in Russia by the Mid-Nevsky Shipyard and started sea trials in August 2016, passing acceptance trials in May this year.

One interesting feature of the ship, as the shipbuilder stated, is the fact that it can serve both as a mine sweeper and a mine hunter thanks to an unmanned mine counter measure integrated system  delivered by French company ECA Group.

The system is composed of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV) A9, identification and mine disposal vehicles (EMDS) K-STER and a single multifunction console integrating the mission management software suite.

According to ECA Group, the UAVS are not limited to MCM missions and will also provide the Kazakhstan Navy with maritime surveillance capabilities such as search and rescue (SAR) operations.

Alatau measures 32.4 meters in length and is crewed by 14 sailors (officers included). It has a range of 650 miles, and is capable of staying at sea for 5 days. Powered by two MAN D2866LXE40 engines, the ship achieves a maximum speed of 11 knots.