RF President Vladimir Putin took part in the ceremonial launch of Zvezda shipyard’s first stage and in the floating dock laying ceremony at Zvezda shipyard (Bolshoi Kamen, Primorsky Territory), Kremlin press center says.
“We have every reason to believe that the new facility will be up to or even better than our main international rivals in terms of labour productivity, or at least many aspects of this indicator”, said Vladimir Putin.
RF President emphasized that Zvezda would primarily build vessels for domestic use, for offshore mineral projects in the Russian Far East and Arctic regions and for developing the Northern Sea Route as a global transport route.
At the ceremony dedicated to the launch of the first production facilities at the Zvezda shipyard Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin said that the Company is the first customer of the new shipyard having ordered four ice-class supply vessels. The pilot delivery is scheduled for 2019.
“The construction of this modern high-tech facility is part of Rosneft comprehensive strategy in the Far East, which aims to build up oil and gas production and processing facilities and also to support research, implement social projects and create infrastructure for quality growth. Taken together, this is evidence of a fundamental and responsible approach to business, which should become the reference point for other large Russian and foreign companies ready to invest in the Russian Far East and its future success”, said Vladimir Putin .
The President inspected the ice-class tanker Sakhalin, which is designed to transport up to four types of oil products with no flash point limits. The tanker will deliver fuel and lubricants to the North, the Far East and the Kuril Islands, as well as to the Northern Group of Forces.
The President also visited the hull facilities site, attended the floating dock laying ceremony and held a meeting on shipbuilding development.
Zvezda Shipyard is established at the Far Eastern Shipbuilding and Ship Repair Center (FESRC) by a consortium of Rosneftegaz, Rosneft and Gazprombank. The project will be implemented I three phases. Phase I – Hull structures fabrication shop and paint shops (including an open final assembly area) for medium capacity vessels and marine equipment; Phase II - Dry dock and fabrication shops for large capacity vessels and marine equipment; Phase III - A series of shops and a dry dock for offshore facilities.
When completed, the Zvezda Shipbuilding Complex will build tankers of up to 350,000 t in displacement, offshore platform units, ice class vessels, specialized vessels and other types of ships.