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Press about IMDS

IMDS-2009

There Is an Opinion...

Hero of Russia, Deputy Director General of FSUE Admiralty Shipyards, Rear Admiral V. Dronov:
"Every time the Show is getting better and more advanced. The cooperation of the Russian enterprises with the foreign partners has been well established. The fact that there are approximately 55 official delegations headed by the political elite including 8 chief commanders will undoubtedly give results in further work. For example, we have plans to construct submarines for Vietnam. And the delegation headed by chief commander of the Vietnam Navy is present at the Show. I hope that this issue concerning the construction of the submarine for this country will be settled successfully. At the previous Show we settled many issues with the Navy of China, and today PRC also shows great interest in our production, as well as other foreign countries."

General Manager of Goa Shipyard Limited J. Anthony Jegaraj:
"Great impressions! We are satisfied with the quality of the equipment produced in Russia. We worked with the Russian specialists before and held a close cooperation. Therefore we know that in order to deal with the Russian companies and enterprises the "home assignment must be done perfectly." We have a very cordial recollection about those times. Therefore we are here again to conduct negotiations with Rosoboronexport enterprise and other individual Russian and Ukraine enterprises.

Director of the Maritime Department of North-Western Customs Administration N. Ivanov:
"I find it great that this year the Show widely presents joint products such as search and rescue equipment, navigation and radar systems and others - everything to equip the boats, warships and vessels. This year the presented production is much greater. The Show becomes the best place to get familiar with such production and to purchase it."

General Director of Zelenodolskoye Design and Development Bureau L. Sharapov:
"The first days of conducting the Show included so many meetings, negotiations and interviews that I didn't have a chance to look at the ships presented here. However no wonder that our ship (frigate the Yaroslav Mudry of 11540 type) is one of the biggest and advanced vessel. Almost all delegations from South-East Asia and other countries visited our booth at the exhibition. I hope that after the integration of our enterprise into the United Shipbuilding Corporation we will establish new partnership and cooperation ties both in Russia and abroad. As for the Show, this time it didn't get worse but to the contrary it became more interesting and vivid."

Director of the Marketing Sector of Almaz Central Marine Design bureau D. Tsygankov:
Despite the economic crisis the Show has come up to the expectations and we are satisfied by our participation in IMDS 2009. The organizers prepared the Show up to the level and IMDS looks quite worthy. I have also positive impressions due to the increase in the number of the foreign delegations and presented boats and ships. It should be mentioned that most Russian ships and boats were designed in our Design Bureau (corvette the Steregushchy, hoverborne assault landing ship the Mordoviya, missile boat of type 12411, patrol boat of type 12200). The delegations visit the booth one by one. It's clear that the participants of the Show have become more active and are looking for new ways of cooperation."

Deputy Director General of Concern Granit-Electron JSC Y. Podoplekin:
"Our enterprise traditionally participates in IMDS. In contradistinction to the previous Shows this time we are situated at the new commodious showroom. The Show demonstrated that almost all participants of the exhibition have become advanced in the field of both equipment and technologies. The representatives of almost all official delegations, thousands specialists and heads of the enterprises and even Vice Prime Minister S. Ivanov visited our booth. Our achievements attract great attention. In particular there are plans on cooperation with French company Thales, and the working contacts with the Indian company BraMos have been also kept up. All this can't but satisfy us."

General Director of the enterprise Ascold (Arseniev, Primorski Krai) G. Slugin:
"I visisted many maritime exhibitions and can say that St.Petersburg Show took only the best from other exhibitions. It provides huge possibilities to mend the cooperation ties. We are glad that this is the second time we participate in IMDS."

Technical Director of NPP Zavod Ekvator (Nizhny Novgorod) Y. Nedelko:
"The impressions are quite prosperous. We have much work, many visitors and our production is in demand and attracts great attention. The level of delegations and participants is rather high and there are many foreign delegations as well. We are glad..."

Head of the Administration of Foreign Economic Activities and Marketing of GNPP Region (Moscow) Y. Suslov:
"IMDS is the most respected exhibition held in the Russian Federation. The progress is evident. The IMDS is getting better: it gets experience and makes the right conclusions... We welcome the visitors and carry out the negotiations almost on a going basis. Such countries as India, Vietnam, South Korea and other South East countries were interested in our production, and the Americans and Englishmen were interested in the specification of our missiles... We are full of optimism and hope that our work at the IMDS will end up successfully."

Managing Director of Marlog (Germany) Hubertus W. Von der Decken:
"IMDS is the best exhibition I have ever visited. In 2007 we were in other showroom and nowadays everything changed so much! Fantastic changes! And it has been well organized as well. The only thing I would like to say is that the information on the badges of the Russian participants should be written both in Russian and English."

 

 

Expert view of the Russian naval shipbuilding

 

The last International Maritime Defence  Show “IMDS - 2009” that was held in St. Petersburg became a parade of achievements of Russian shipbuilders and gave an opportunity  to claim that the time of 2007 and 2008 became a starting point in new age of development of Russian Navy. One of the leading participants of the show was “United Shipbuilding Corporation” (USC), that includes main shipbuilding enterprises such as: “Severnaya Verf”, Baltiysky Zavod, "Iceberg" Central Design Bureau. Corvette pr. 20380 “Steregushii” built on the shipyards of USC became a star of the show. It became a part of the Russian effective combat strength. Andrei Fomichev , supervisor of the project “Shipbuilding” in USC, commented on the significance of such  an event for the native Navy and on the future of naval shipbuilding as well.

 

Why is Corvette pr. 20380 “Steregushii” so unique?

First of all, Corvette pr. 20380 “Steregushii” is not a kind of “remake” of old soviet projects. This project was developed from the ground up in the Central Design Bureau "Iceberg" in new Russia.  21 patents of inventions and 14 certificates for registration of computer programs were given out during the work on the project. Stealth technologies are used in corvette. They make it invisible for enemy sensing systems. Automatic control systems of corvette give an opportunity to reduce ship’s company. Finally,  “Steregushii” is equipped with the brand new armament developed in the times of Russia, not in Soviet times. This armament, including shipboard helicopter, allows the corvette striking surface, underwater, air and coast aims and conducting warfare together with the combat groups or alone, including the enemy ships that are more high-powered.

 

What are the plans for further construction of such corvettes?

“Steregushii” certainly isn’t the only one “product”. It is the main ship among the range of corvettes pr. 20380. There’s an order for USC made by government to continue the range with corvettes “Storozhevoi”, “Soobrazitelnii”, “Boikii” and “Stoikii”. Three of the ships are already in process of construction.

Admiral Vladimir Visotsky, Commander-in-Chief of Russian Navy, said that corvettes like “Steregushii” would comprise the basis of Russian Navy till 2030. It is estimated that Russian Navy needs several dozens of new corvettes. In other words, the handing over of  “Steregushii” to the customer started not simply the serial production of surface ships in new Russia, but mass production.

 

And how does the corvette look compared with foreign analogues?

“Steregushii” has special technical and attack characteristics, not only for the Russian Navy.  Project 20380 which is used for construction of the Russian ships has export variation – pr. 20382 “Tigr”. Foreign customers have strong interest in it. According to the opinion of foreign experts ship pr. 20382  does not and will not have competitors of its class on the world military market. That is why export potential of corvettes “Tigr” is highly valued – from several billions to 20-30 billions of dollars.

 

Does it mean that Russia will get new competitive advantages on the world military market?

Certainly! Untill recently Russia supplied foreign customers with high quality upgraded weapon of soviet development within military technical cooperation. Foreign competitors expected that in the following ten years potential for upgrading will be fully exhausted. In their opinion in this case Russia would loose its PTS partners and gradually would leave military market. The construction of “Steregushii” and development of its export variations mean that Russian Federation now has competitive “military products” for foreign market that meet the requirements of the 21^st century . They will not only give Russia a chance to save its current positions in global trade military system, but also will lead to the expanding of its role in global military and technical cooperation.

 

What are other work directions does United Shipbuilding Corporation have in the sphere of military shipbuilding?

The USC enterprises are the leaders of military-industrial complex: they implement 75% of  the program  of surface military shipbuilding. During the last year USC transferred to the range of Russian Navy  3 ships not including“Steregushii”. In 2008 Federal Service for defence orders (Rosoboronzakaz) approved of shipbuilding plant “Severnaya Verf” to be the only supplier of corvettes pr. 20380 and motor boats pr. 21270. Only this enterprise was included three times in register of suppliers of Russian armament and military equipment. What’s more USC shipyards were accepted by Federal agency of industry and “Rosoboronexport” as a potential contractor specializing on different orders for different countries in 10 directions of military and technical cooperation.

USC shipyards continue the construction of ocean frigate pr. 22350 – “Fleet Admiral of Soviet Union Gorshkov” for native Navy. They also construct head communication ship and special motor boats. There’s also a serious work connected with military and technical cooperation. At the moment several ships from the Algerian Navy are being upgraded. Commander-in-Chief Vladimir Visotsky announced about the government’s intentions to order one more frigate from USC shipyards.

 

It is for sure that such large-scale perspectives make think of upgrading and increasing of production capacities.

According to the expert’s opinion Russia must have near 70 surface ships for oceanic zones. Even now USC shipyards have enough production capacities for increasing of government’s orders program at least 3 times. Despite this USC has already started large-scale upgrading and development of production.  The main strategic aim of USC is creation of modern compact shipyard that matches to the world requirements and gives an opportunity to produce large ships with deadweight up to 300 000 tons and warships of any classes. Specialization of united shipyard in the sphere of civil shipbuilding is the construction of high-tech, complex ships for searching, mining and transportation of raw hydrocarbons from oil and gas deposits of continental shelves. By the way, warships constructed by USC shipyards can also be used for implementation of shelve projects: “Maritime doctrine of Russian Federation” makes Russian Navy responsible for guarding of close sea zones, including vast territories of Russian shelves.

 

It is clear that USC enterprises don’t suffer from lack of orders. However not long ago there was information that “Severnaya Verf” had losses according to the results of 2008. What is the reason?

These losses represented in the bookkeeping reports are mostly connected with changes in currency rates and in credits of Russian banks. It is caused by ruble-dollar/ruble-euro rates slashing. “Severnaya Verf” is using currency credits for sponsorship of export contracts, and credits repayment will be made by means of currency gains. However the expected gains under the contracts are not represented in the reports and they are not revaluated. That is why when currency rates are increasing there are losses in a company’s reports.

 

And what are the perspectives for sponsorship of shipbuilding government’s order in such complicated economic conditions?

Vice prime minister Sergey Ivanov commented on this on the last Show. According to his words the program for construction of corvettes and frigates in Russia is being put into effect and will be sponsored fully and without delays.

 

Artem Ostrovsky, “Izvestiya”, 03.07.09

 

 

 

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