The Stoiky will be the fourth corvette of the Project 20380 series, after the Steregushchy, the Soobrazitelny and the Boiky, designed by the Almaz Central Marine Design Bureau and built at the shipyard.
Deputy Navy Commander Mikhail Zakharenko, who took part in the keel-laying ceremony, said that the first ship built in the series, the Steregushchy corvette, shipped out Friday for testing.
Navy Commander Admiral Vladimir Masorin said in May at the Steregushchy launch ceremony that the event marked the beginning of a new stage in the development of Russian military shipbuilding.
"Russia must maintain its Navy," he said, adding that Russia planned to launch a new ship in each design series every year starting in 2006, and that construction of new combat ships will ensure security at sea and global stability.
"Ships of this series [project 20380] will also help ensure Russia's energy security," Masorin said.
Russia has designated energy security its number one priority during its tenure this year as chairman of the Group of Eight leading industrialized nations.
Masorin said the corvettes will protect oil and gas transportation routes, especially in the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea.
The Boiky and the Soobrazitelny, ships of the same series, are still being constructed at the shipyard.
The Stoiky corvette has a displacement of 2,000 metric tons, a maximum speed of 27 knots, a crew of 100 and is equipped with stealth technology.
