When speaking at 2nd Ship Repair, Modernization and Components Conference which opened today in Saint-Petersburg, Valery Kireyev, Director of Soyuzproektverf, Deputy General Director of Shipbuilding & Shiprepair Technology Center JSC, said that the shortage of sea transport vessels in Russia is estimated at over 400 units.
He explained that, in 2021, of the 596 of 760 maritime vessels involved in the transport of Russian cargo were flying a foreign flag and were not controlled by domestic shipowners. In 2022, they left the Russian market. To compensate for the loss of tonnage, more than 100 tankers were purchased and RUB 150 billion were allocated for the purchase of 85 vessels, mainly bulkers. However, that did not cover all the needs.
155 ice-class ships are needed for cargo transportation by the Northern Sea Route (NSR).
According to the expert, shipbuilding complex Zvezda will not cope with the shipbuilding programme alone. Valery Kireyev believes that one of the main projects to solve this problem is the creation of a facility of high-tonnage shipbuilding on the Kotlin Island in Saint Petersburg.
As for repair of this fleet, it is necessary to create ship repair facilities in Murmansk (State Transport Leasing Company, North-West Fish Industry Consortium), in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (Norebov), Ust-Luga (Rosmorport).
Valery Kireyev also believes that it is reasonable to look into a governmental programme on granting quotas for the extraction of aquatic bioresources in return for creation of ship repair facilities (similar to the keel quotas programme).
The 2nd Ship Repair, Modernization and Components Conference has opened in Saint-Petersburg today, 26 September 2023, the zero day of the Global Fishery Forum and Seafood Expo Russia (SEAFOOD EXPO RUSSIA). The event is organized by Russia’s leading industry-focused media group PortNews.