Russia: Government Holds Session on Shipbuilding Development for 2013-2030

Government Holds Session on Shipbuilding Development for 2013-2030

The session of the Russian Federation government dedicated to the Shipbuilding Development for Years 2013-2030 Project was held in Moscow the day before.

“Our country has conventionally had a strong shipbuilding sector starting from Peter the Great’s times; it was among the ten most advanced nations in the industry. However, recently the orders for the navy ship and commercial vessel construction have significantly fallen that caused a quite difficult situation for our shipyards—not all over the place, but anyway a considerable part of them is in a not simple situation. Implementation of the project we will review is aimed to regain the positions of Russia in the world shipbuilding. The extent of the project financing will be over 600 billion rubles, including over 50% (330 billion rubles) from the federal budget”, Dmitry Medvedev opened the government session.

The Zvezda shipbuilding complex project, a capital project of Far Eastern Shipbuilding and Ship Repair Center, is designated the growth point in the Russian Far East. It was reported to the Prime Minister by Denis Manturov, Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation.

“The domestic shipbuilding is organized within three clearly defined clusters of the Northern West, Far East, and South. Developing each of them has its own specifics within the state project. Vast opportunities have been historically concentrated in the Northern West; however, these days it needs to optimize the production facilities as the enterprises of the cluster are not too homogeneous as to their operational ability. It appears appropriate to implement the optimization with non-government funding, and the facilities upgrade with, inter alia, budgetary resources. Right now the South cluster makes energetic efforts to establish specific exclusive economic shipbuilding zones. The priority project for the Far East cluster is the construction of a modern Zvezda shipbuilding complex”, Denis Manturov remarked.

Far Eastern Shipbuilding and Ship Repair Center is constructing the Zvezda shipbuilding complex in Bolshoi Kamen without interrupting the existing production in the same-named yard. The project is implemented in four stages. The first stage, Hull Manufacturing Workshop and Paint Workshops, will start working in the very next year with cutting steel for new vessels. Here the ship structures weighing up to 300 tons and the vessels with a launching weight up to 13,000 tons can be produced. Following the project completion the Zvezda shipbuilding complex will produce oil tankers with a displacement up to 350 thousand tons, LNG carriers, ice-rated vessels, specific vessels, drilling rig components and other offshore structures.

“The project at its final stage is indeed tied to the rigs construction, and we depend, to some degree, upon Shtokman. But not only Shtokman or Gazprom will be the customers for these shipyards. Why did I mention and emphasize the Zvezda shipyard? Because it is the major project of ours in the Far East. Depending on the stages we implement in full, it is from 27 to 60 billion. Therefore, the other enterprises of Far Eastern Center will discharge a function of the cooperative members to supply blocks and carry out orders within this large-scale project”, Denis Manturov, Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, remarked at press time after the end of the government session.

[mappress]

Press Release, November 15, 2012