The United Shipbuilding Corporation, transferred under the management of VTB, has announced plans to increase the number of vessels transferred to civil enterprises by 44%. In particular, 36 vessels are expected to be commissioned in 2024.
In June 2023, the head of USC, Alexey Rakhmaninov (replaced by Alexey Puchkov in August), stated that the corporation could commission up to 20 vessels on average. At the end of last year, 25 vessels were handed over.
At the same time, in November, at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of USC, Andrey Kostin, admitted that the shipbuilding industry needs serious modernization.
We are not able to fully satisfy the order for civil vessels today: there is a lack of capacity, a lack of technology
According to him, the country needs dry cargo ships, tankers, fishing vessels, crab boats, and passenger ships. According to Kostin's estimates, in 5-7 years, the Russian shipbuilding industry will be efficient.
Given Kostin's statement, it is unclear how USC intends to increase production. Especially knowing that the corporation often delays the commissioning of new vessels.