7 September 2022
KEY CONCLUSIONS
There is increasing demand for
Russian-made ships, and the industry is in need of additional investment
“One sixth of all shipbuilding and ship-repair
enterprises are based in the Far East. That’s 17% in terms of the number of
enterprises, 11% in terms of the workforce, and 8% in terms of actual
production. Currently, 25 government-supported shipbuilding projects are under
way in the Far Eastern Federal District. This support is provided in the form
of incentive regimes. <...> Almost 68% of total planned investments have
been made, or RUB 175 billion of RUB 257 [billion – ed.],” Konstantin Dolgov,
Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Economic Policy of the Federation Council
of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation.
“Our objective is firstly to determine with more or
less certainty what the demand for ships will be for Russian customers. The
second aspect is that we are actively monitoring the actual state of
ship-repair capacity. This is so we gain an understanding of the objective
picture, and know whether we can, with the shipbuilding capacity we have,
construct the ships which various customers need today. These customers range
from private companies to those which make orders under Federal Law 44, i.e.,
state-owned companies. <...> Until recently, there was a need for a
little over 1,000 ships; however, <...> this has grown. <...> So,
we need to construct around 1,500 vessels at our Russian shipyards by 2035. The
programme for around 300 ships initially earmarked a little over RUB 130–140
billion of funds. However, just recently it came under review, and a fairly
large amount of medium- and large-capacity marine equipment was added to it.
Now, RUB 500 billion has been earmarked,” Viktor Evtukhov,
State Secretary – Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian
Federation.
“There is a demand among the regions for more than 250
ships [to boost river tourism and cruise traffic – ed.]. Currently, the
programme provides for 140 ships. <...> These include Meteor hydrofoils,
Valdai hydrofoils, and Griffin catamarans,” Evgeniy Ditrikh,
Chief Executive Officer, GTLK.
Modernization is required and new shipyards need to be built in order to
further develop the shipbuilding industry
“If we want to build ships ourselves, there’s no other
option. That’s particularly true given the current sanctions. We need to invest
heavily in Russia’s shipbuilding industry. In addition, the modernization of
shipyards is a prerequisite for further development. If we don’t do this, it
will be difficult to compete with our closest neighbours in the region we’re in
now. That includes China and North Korea. <...> At least RUB 440–500
billion in capital investment is needed to modernize and develop our shipyards,
and to enable them to offer more up‑to‑date ships and a bigger range,” is the Viktor
Evtukhov, State Secretary – Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of the
Russian Federation.
“We are proceeding on the basis of building in the
places we catch fish. The Far East is home to the biggest fishing fleet. That’s
a fact – we have all the shipyards, all the potential, all the expertise, and
all the initiatives in place. <...> So, we need to work to our strengths.
<...> We need to build in Khabarovsk, Komsomolsk, Vladivostok, and other
cities in the region,” Mikhail Degtyaryov, Governor of Khabarovsk Territory.
PROBLEMS
A dependence on imports of accessory
equipment and the need to urgently localize production
“We urgently need to localize production of equipment.
<...> There are numerous problems in this sector, because Western
suppliers are refusing to even deliver equipment that has been paid for in
advance, and our manufacturers are not yet in a position to make it themselves.
<...> RUB 21 billion will be allocated over three years to fund [the
production – ed.] of critical equipment. That includes more than 60
items. <...> Starting from this year, we will be able to meet the demand
for this equipment among shipyards and our customers,” Viktor Evtukhov, State
Secretary – Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation.
“The anti-Russian sanctions have affected the
shipbuilding industry as well. They have put certain weaknesses under a more
powerful spotlight, and highlighted the degree to which the industry is
dependent on foreign-made accessory equipment. The task is now to mitigate this
negative effect as much as possible, and to implement long-term plans to build
facilities capable of manufacturing our very own high-tech assemblies and
components,” Konstantin Dolgov, Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Economic Policy
of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation.
“The key problem revolves around the main engines. <...> Currently
nobody in Russia makes engines with a capacity of 15,000 megawatts, or even
9,000 [megawatts – ed.]. There’s also not a single mechanical
engineering enterprise in Russia which builds dual-fuel engines,” Sergey
Tseluyko, Chief Executive Officer, Zvezda Shipbuilding Complex.
Shipbuilding enterprises in the Far East carry an additional burden
“There is a problem which is primarily connected with
the financial burden carried by companies in the Far East. <...> This is
down to the so-called northern allowance – a social package <...> paid
for by the employer. <...> It makes it virtually impossible to compete
with Western shipyards – those in the Western part of Russia,” Mikhail Degtyaryov,
Governor of Khabarovsk Territory.
“Given the climatic challenges and factors affecting
the shipbuilding industry, the lack of investment in fixed assets is
undoubtedly leading to us needing to address this somehow,” Alexey Rakhmanov,
Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, United Shipbuilding
Corporation.
Sanctions have transformed all economic models and supply chains
“All our financial and economic models collapsed at
once. <...> The figures are now very different, so we of course
<...> need to work out what to do about it,” Vyacheslav Ruksha,
Deputy Director General – Director for the Northern Sea Route Directorate,
ROSATOM State Atomic Energy Corporation.
“Our building work is done in roubles, and the subsidies
we get are provided in roubles. However, all our key customers plan their
revenues in foreign currency. <...> When we convert the cost of a new
steamship according to a rate of 62 [roubles to the dollar – ed.], the
resulting figure makes our customers go, ‘Are you seriously suggesting we buy
your steamships for USD 20 million apiece? That’s never going to happen’. And
at that point, we need to either move away from being tied to foreign currency
<...> or find some other metric,” Alexey Rakhmanov, Chairman
of the Board, Chief Executive Officer, United Shipbuilding Corporation.
“Supply chains have now changed in the world: we need
to supply things to other places, supply things under different conditions,
supply other types of cargo, and supply things using different steamships,” Evgeniy Ditrikh,
Chief Executive Officer, GTLK.
SOLUTIONS
Moving to serial production and conducting
expert analyses before a deal is signed in order to avoid being bound by
loss-making contracts
“Today, our objective as a manufacturer is to present
the customer with projects which can be calculated in advance and agreed upon,
so that the terms reached work well for both the customer, and the
manufacturer,” Viktor Evtukhov, State Secretary – Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade
of the Russian Federation.
“In order for there to be a long-term order, the
shipyard needs to understand when and what it needs to construct, and under
what terms. We need to move to serial production. <...> We need to move
away from small batches – from lead steamships – to serial production,” Evgeniy Ditrikh, Chief
Executive Officer, GTLK.
“A mandatory expert analysis should be conducted by
both the customer and the shipyard prior to a ship construction contract being
signed. <...> When building a commercial fleet, a shipyard should also
undergo an expert analysis in order to avoid getting into loss-making
contracts. Unfortunately, this is a problem we have. It was particularly acute
when the shipyards were less busy,” Viktor Evtukhov, State Secretary – Deputy Minister of
Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation.
“Less procurement, more production,” Konstantin Dolgov,
Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Economic Policy of the Federation Council
of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation.
Preserving the Russian shipbuilding industry’s human capital as a matter
of importance
“Reputation is a matter of importance. Our Amur- and
Khabarovsk-based shipbuilders have never let anyone down. In the past few
decades, all orders have been fulfilled on time and to the required quality.
<...> This is the platform we stand upon,” Mikhail Degtyaryov,
Governor of Khabarovsk Territory.
Long-term planning which factors in government support
“We need to take the long view. For the shipbuilding
industry, looking ahead to 2035 is insufficient. We need to look ahead to 2050
or perhaps beyond that. <...> Shipbuilding is a competition involving
government support. Let’s see how the shipbuilding industry took root in Japan,
how the shipbuilding industry developed in Korea, and how the shipbuilding
industry began to develop in China. These are all links of a single chain, and
it’s crucial that we are able to look at the measures that were put forward by
our neighbours. We should analyse them carefully and do what is needed to move
into manufacturing in the near future, and afterwards find our place in the
international market,” Alexey Rakhmanov, Chairman of the Board, Chief
Executive Officer, United Shipbuilding Corporation.
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information, visit the Roscongress Foundation’s Information and Analytical
System at roscongress.org/en