11 Apr 2024 12:04

Shipyard project costing over 7 bln rubles starts on Sakhalin Island

YUZHNO-SAKHALINSK. April 11 (Interfax) - Rusatom Korsakov Shipyard has begun implementing a project to build a shipyard at a cost of more than 7 billion rubles in the southern Sakhalin town of Korsakov, which is home to the region's main seaport.

"The project to build the composite ship construction yard has begun. The new company JSC Rusatom Korsakov Shipyard will produce up to 50 vessels per year, targeting the needs of the tourism, transport and fishing sectors," the Telegram channel of the region's governor, Valery Limarenko said.

The shipyard will build five types and sizes of vessels from light and strong composite materials, including four types of catamarans with capacity for 12 to 150 passengers, including wind-powered and high-speed, as well as fishing boats for coastal fishing.

There are plans to invest 7.34 billion rubles in the shipyard, including a soft loan from state development corporation VEB.RF that has been approved by the government commission for the socioeconomic development of the Far East.

"Shipbuilding will become a fundamentally new sector of the economy for Sakhalin Region and there will be demand for the enterprise's products on both the internal market and in neighboring regions," Limarenko said.

The region's deputy minister of investment, industry and foreign relations, Sergei Burenkov told Interfax that the project will be carried out in three stages at the port facilities of a former fish cannery.

The first stage will involve the reconstruction of the production area, and construction of the first ship, administration complex and warehouse, and in 2025 the shipyard will start building recreational and sailing catamarans with capacity for up to 12 passengers.

In the second stage, the company will build the second production shop and associated infrastructure, and in 2027 start building fishing vessels and high-speed catamarans for up to 24 passengers.

In the third stage, the company will finish building its equipment fleet and start building high-speed catamarans for up to 150 passengers, and in 2028 it intends to bring the shipyard up to design capacity of up to 50 vessels per year.

It was reported last August that the Yuzhnaya priority development area would be expanded for the shipyard project planned by Rusatom Korsakov Shipyard, which was registered in Korsakov in July 2023. The company's founders are subsidiaries of state corporation Rosatom - Rusatom GasTech with 99.9% and Rusatom Optical Fiber with 0.01%.

At the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) in Vladivostok in September 2022, Limarenko signed a cooperation agreement with Rosatom Group company Umatex on the construction of a shipyard on Sakhalin Island. It was reported at the time that the yard would build up to 100 vessels per year for the market of Russia's Far East.