Dubai: Russian state-owned United Shipbuilding Company OSK, which builds warships for the Russian navy and is normally not known for its openness to the public, recently surprised all with an unusual announcement. For the first time in Russia, the company is inviting professionals as well as "talented amateurs" for tenders to design battleships for the Russian navy.
According to OSK President Roman Trotsenko, who was quoted last week by Russian daily Izvestija, the company looks forward to submissions of design concepts until December 10 and is willing to pay 12 million roubles (Dh1.4 million) for the best design which will be chosen by a special OSK committee.
Trotsenko said that the design competition is aiming to "establish a new relationship between the Russian population and the country's marine fleet." He added that OSK considers the tender a way for Russians "to become proud again of ships sailing under the Russian banner."
Entitled to participate are citizens of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus, OSK announced, as those three countries maintain close trade relationships.
Among the most famous Russian battleships — or former Soviet battleships — are the Admiral Kuznetsov class aircraft carriers, the nuclear powered Kirov class battle cruisers, the Udaloy class anti-submarine destroyers and the famous armoured cruiser Aurora.
