CNII Kurs to establish import substitution center for production of shipboard equipment

Central Research and Development Establishment “Kurs” (CNII Kurs) is looking into creation of import substitution center for production of shipboard equipment and invites all interested parties to cooperate. According to IAA PortNews correspondent, this was announced by Dmitry Stoyanov, Deputy to Director General of CNII Kurs on Civil Marine Facilities, at the Fourth International Forum “Arctic Projects – Today and Tomorrow” held on Wednesday in Arkhangelsk. 

According to the speaker, Russia can hardly manufacture ship engines, radio-navigation facilities and other equipment able to compete with imported ones in terms of quality, price and production time.

In general, shipbuilding industry is showing a positive dynamics of import substitution process. However, the challenge is in the lack of required production facilities and experience. Yet, there are reserves but they cannot be used in full because of insufficient industry integration and absence of a unified catalogue of local competitive products.

Dmitry Stoyanov says there are about 3,000 standards applicable to shipboard equipment in Russia. Multiple catalogues and drawings issued in the period of independent work at different enterprises now result in manufacture of similar products with different identification numbers. This hinders their mass production by specialized companies. 

Ship specializations often unreasonably require installation of specific brand equipment, usually of foreign origin. So domestic companies are excluded from the construction process.

Import substitution center is aimed to solve the mentioned problems. The center is to consolidate all the information and to launch an e-portal.

A pilot project on designing and building a ship with maximum share of domestic equipment and technologies is under discussion today. The Center operation parameters will be tried and adjusted in the framework of the pilot project.

Those who initiate the establishment of an import substitution center for production of shipboard equipment believe it is necessary for both the shipbuilding and related industries. The center will act as an integrator for cooperation of all the parties involved in the process of shipbuilding – designers, ship owners, shipbuilders, manufacturers of equipment for other industries (if such equipment can be adjusted for shipbuilding).

“Russian designers and manufacturers of civil marine facilities are facing a crucial task of for the coming 5-7 years – to supply Russian civil vessels under repair and under construction with domestic components featuring characteristics competitive with foreign counterparts,” said Dmitry Stoyanov.

The idea of creating an import substitution center for production of shipboard equipment was earlier backed by the participants of the round-table meeting “Import Substitution in Civil Shipbuilding” held in the framework of the 2^nd international exhibition “Import Substitution” in September 2016.