Yakutia based water transport enterprises have to beef up their fleet by more than 350 newbuilds until 2035, Lena River Shipping says
Waterborne transport businesses will have to upgrade their fleet by 2035 adding in excess of 350 new vessels, said Sergey Larionov, General Director of Lena United River Shipping Company (LORP, Yakutsk). As of now, the average age of vessels in the region nears 37 years exceeding the standard period by more than 10 years. The share of the “young” fleet is below 11%, the shipping company said in a press release.
Larinov says the Russian Ministry of Economic Development has confirmed the inclusion of the investment project "Construction of High-tech Zhataysky Shipyard" in the updated draft state program of "Social and Economic Development of the Arctic Zone of the Russian Federation for the Period until 2020 and Beyond", with certain funding starting as from 2019.
Completion of the two-phased project includes the modernization of a building slipway and a hull fabrication hall. The project was developed to overhaul and modernization of the vessels operated in the Lena River Basin and capabilities of Zhataisky Shipbuilding, Ship Repair Yard.
In addition to the construction and modernization of the fleet, the project also provides for ship decommissioning and scrapping with state funding.
He added that “the construction of a high-tech shipyard is the most ambitious project. This is about building 5 to 10 newbuilds a year, up to 2500 new jobs, and about the latest technologies and also about complete renewal of ships operating in the Lena Basin. In addition, it means also the development of the Zhatai. In December, we will commission a 9-storied residential building for the shipping company and the shipyard personnel, because we plant to invite specialists from other regions, and we will also train our specialists from the shipping company employees”.
