Russia asks companies to support new Zvezda yard

According to the Russian president, the first phase of construction works on the civilian shipbuilding centre in Bolshoi Kamen is to be completed by the end of 2016.

“I would like to note here that this was never a full-cycle shipbuilding facility; therefore, we need new production skills and personnel training here,” Mr Putin said at a meeting which was held with state officials and industry representatives in Vladivostok.

The president said that a “shipbuilding cluster in the Far East must become a major production centre building and servicing vessels of various classes, primarily for the domestic market.”

The shipyard will be able to build tankers with a displacement of up to 350,000 tonnes, LNG carriers, ice class vessels, specialized vessels, offshore platform units and other types of marine structures, according to data from Zvezda.

According to Mr Putin, a number of major Russian companies from various industries are expected to place orders at the designed shipyard.

“There is a demand for such a facility on the part of domestic buyers,” the president said.