The payback period of a new ship repair dock in Russia exceeds 30 years. This was stated by Andrey Korobitsyn, project manager of USC, at the conference "Ship Repair, Modernization, Components".
According to him, investment attractiveness is a key factor for all market participants. Both the state and private investors must clearly understand what they are investing in, as well as when and how quickly they will be able to recoup their investments.
Andrey Korobitsyn spoke about various models that were considered to increase ship repair capacity in USC. During the analysis, both the opening of new ship repair enterprises from scratch and the construction of docks separately were studied. However, all models showed that the payback of the dock in less than 15 years is impossible. At the same time, the calculations took into account only the cost of the dock itself.
Korobitsyn noted that this approach is not entirely correct, because the construction of the dock is only part of the costs. It is necessary to take into account other expenses, such as dredging, site preparation and commissioning. If we consider the project as a whole, then the high cost of ship lifting mechanisms, combined with the low turnover of ships in docks, leads to such long payback periods.
The development of ship repair in Russia can only be successful if competition increases through the development of new enterprises, new capacities and cooperation with companies that provide additional services. The key task is to focus on the development of docking programs, to provide them with state support.
Speaking about possible instruments of state support, he suggested various options, such as preferential leasing, loans or construction at the expense of the state, followed by the transfer of structures for long-term lease.
In addition, Korobitsyn noted that for the further development of ship repair, it is advisable to introduce a model in which the main docking works are performed by the enterprises themselves, and specialized companies are involved for irregular works.
The representative of USC believes that this will not only unload ship repair enterprises, allowing them to develop and increase revenue, but also create opportunities for attracting specialized companies that will be able to quickly connect to work at such sites.