Russia Boosts Production of Shelf Exploring Ships

18.05.2012 Russia will increase production of sea-going vessels and mining platforms for shelf development, said deputy director of Shipbuilding Dept in Ministry of Trade and Industry Andrei Kurasov appearing at the press conference prior to 3-rd International Forum "Russian Marine Industry" to open on May 23 in Moscow.

"In Russia, we know how to build such ships and drilling platforms, and we can take this niche in the world's marine engineering market", emphasized Kurasov. As for him, "up to 20% of hydrocarbon reserves are located on our continental shelves while Russia's sea border is about 46 000 km long", reports ITAR-TASS.

"With this in view, development of those natural resources is directly connected with development of national shipbuilding", Kurasov said. He added that "in Russia, shipbuilding has always been and is of military nature, but construction of shelf exploring vessels should be a civil-oriented matter".

Kurasov stressed that Russian shipbuilding industry numbered 170 large companies and hundreds of associated firms with about 170 000 employees.

Civil-oriented shipyards not meeting present-date requirements are being gradually modernized. "This happens to northwestern yards. Construction project of a new shipbuilding plant on Kotlin Island (Kronshtadt) is being developed as well", said the official.

Kurasov considers that "Russian shipbuilding industry demonstrated growth even during global economic crisis. And now this growth continues. We build about 50 new ships a year, and this number will increase in the future". "The shipbuilding development program provides construction of 1,400 new sea-going vessels by 2020". As for Kurasov, Russian transport and fishing marine fleet will face considerable renovation in the period till 2020.

Kurasov said that about 2,500 ships are currently flying Russian flags worldwide.