Putin describes Zvezda super-shipyard as national project
BOLSHOI KAMEN (Primorye Territory). Sept 11 (Interfax) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has described the Zvezda super-shipyard as unique and said this is a national project.
"We will have a unique enterprise. The dry dock will be 500 meters long. The country has not had anything like that before. There are a handful of similar facilities in the world. It will be building medium-sized and large civilian ships Russia has never built before. This is a major national project that goes beyond the Far East. You are lucky to be working at such an enterprise," Putin told Zvezda employees.
The president visited the shipyard on Tuesday to witness the installation of a storm board in the unfinished Aframax tanker St. Petersburg. The shipyard will build ten ships of the kind; their commissioning will begin in 2021.
The dry dock mentioned by Putin is part of the second stage of the Zvezda project. It would be unique for the domestic shipbuilding industry. The dock has dimensions of 485 to 114 to 14 meters; it will be building drilling rigs, super-tankers, gas tankers, water carriers, and other types of marine vessels, including those for operating in the Arctic.
"Importantly, [the shipyard administration] should timely address social issues, build homes, kindergartens, schools, and so on. This is also part of the project," Putin said.
He said he was expecting "no delays in such undertakings."
Zvezda is a high-tech project based on brand-new engineering solutions, which will make it one of the most advanced builders of large ships in the world.