French navy likely to push Mistral deal on China visit

French Navy representatives during their visit to Shanghai are likely to propose to China a deal on acquiring the Mistral-class helicopter carriers originally built for Russia, a Tass report says citing Chinese media Monday.

A group of French ships including Dixmude a Mistral-class landing vessel, Aconit, a Lafayette-class frigate, is expected to dock Shanghai Port from May 9 to 15.
Local media says it's the first time a Mistral-class vessel calls at a Chinese port.

Earlier French media reports said one of the options for dealing with the helicopter carriers built for Russia was to sink them.

French Navy is "unlikely" to use Mistral helicopter carriers as they are built as per Russian standards and modifying them would cost hundres of millions of euros, the French newspaper report said.

"In this context, the main option is the possibility of finding new customers for these two Mistrals," the report says. The potential clients are Canada, Egypt and a North European country.

Under the contract, Russia was expected to receive the first of the two warships, the Vladivostok, in the autumn of 2014. However, Paris suspended the ship's handover to Russia over Moscow's stance on developments in Ukraine, Tass said.