Russia needs new line of ship engines for implementing its shipbuilding program - presidential aide

ST. PETERSBURG. Feb 16 (Interfax) - Russia needs to develop a domestic line of new marine engines to implement its long-term consolidated shipbuilding program, presidential aide and Maritime Board Chairman Nikolai Patrushev said.

"The Russian president has already approved a shipbuilding program for the Federal Security Service's naval component up to 2050. A draft shipbuilding program for the Navy up to 2050 is in its final stages. A state program for the construction of civilian vessels up to 2050 is being drafted," Patrushev said at a meeting on the development of marine engine construction in St. Petersburg.

Based on these programs, a long-term consolidated shipbuilding program will be drawn up to meet Russia's need for the required quantitative and qualitative condition of its navy and civilian fleet, he said.

"To successfully implement the consolidated program, ships and vessels under construction must be equipped with advanced domestic marine hardware, whose core element is the propulsion system. To this end, it is necessary to develop a domestic line of new marine engines, including diesel, gas turbine, combined-cycle, dual-fuel, and hydrogen-powered ones. It is important to organize this work systemically," Patrushev said.

He praised the substantial work done by UEC-Saturn to develop modern domestic marine gas turbine engines. "The company has managed to ensure Russia's technological sovereignty in this area within a brief time. A new production facility was built practically from scratch," he said.

Patrushev referred to the development of an air-independent propulsion system based on a hydrogen electrochemical generator as a promising avenue in the development of marine propulsion. Dmitry Novikov, head of the Krylov State Research Center, briefed the audience on the project's progress.