The regional authorities have requested federal financing to compensate for the increased cost of the project
By the beginning of summer 2023, Zhatai Shipyard in Yakutia was about 60% ready. According to Peotr Nakul, General Director of Zhatai Shipyard JSC, the construction is still behind the schedule, says press center of the regional government.
The schedule disruption is explained by the increased cost of materials since the contracts were signed in 2018 prices. The regional authorities have requested the allocation of federal financing to compensate for the increased cost of the project as confirmed by the revised design and estimate documentation approved by Glavgosexpertiza. The allocations are expected from the revised budget for 2024.
According to Vladimir Sivtsev, Minister of Transport and Road Construction of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), the deadline for commissioning of the shipyard is the end of 2023.
Initially, it was planned to complete the construction of Zhatai Shipyard in 2021. Allocations for the first phase exceeded RUB 5.7 billion including about RUB 4.1 billion from the federal budget and RUB 750 million from the budget of Yakutia. The regional authorities later announced that the first phase would be put into operation in 2023. In April 2023, Peotr Nakul declared 70-pct readiness of the shipyard.
Zhatai Shipyard will be the key facility for modernization of the fleet operating in the Lena river basin and the Arctic areas of Yakutia including the Northern Sea Route. The shipyard is designed to build up to 10 river-going and sea-going ships per year. By 2036, it is planned to build about 130 river-going ships. The shipyard is also intended for repair, modernization and scrapping of floating facilities.
Since inland water ways of the Lena Basin have no connection with other basins, construction and repair of river-going ships is only possible at a shipyard in Yakutia. There are no alternatives to Zhatai Shipyard in the region.