The United Shipbuilding Corporation (OSK) has proposed introducing state support measures for the construction of river tugboats in the Far East. This was announced by Mikhail Afonyutin, Director of the Department of Sales and Contracting for Civil Shipbuilding.
The corporation offers several support options. These include subsidies for construction for shipowners, compensation for part of the costs for enterprises building tugboats in the Far Eastern Federal District, and the launch of a specialized targeted program for the construction of river tugboats with a duration of at least ten years.
The need for such measures is due to the critical aging of the fleet. Currently, Russia has 3,412 river tugboats, with an average age of 49 years, and 42 percent of the vessels are over 50 years old. At the same time, only 57 new tugboats have been built in the last 25 years. In parallel, the cargo base is growing: on the Amur River alone, transportation reached 3.5 million tons in 2025, an increase of 1.2 million tons compared to 2024.
OSK also proposes specific types of vessels for serial construction – river pusher tugs with a capacity of 220 and 440 kW, vessels with a capacity of 600 to 1500 horsepower, as well as a modernized line of OT-2000/OT-2400 type tugboats. According to the corporation's estimates, at least 500 vessels need to be built in the next 10 years for stable navigation and to replace the retiring fleet.
Afonyutin emphasized that for the program to be launched, it is necessary to develop river infrastructure, provide affordable financing for shipowners, and form unified serial solutions. The aging fleet and the growth of cargo transportation imply the development of shipbuilding clusters, machine-building, and instrument-making competencies. This requires early consolidation of demand and a long-term program for the construction of river tugboats.