USC has announced the completion of the first stage of creating low-speed engines for a large-capacity fleet.
The United Shipbuilding Corporation has completed the first stage of the project to create a line of domestic low-speed marine engines (MOD) for the large-tonnage fleet, forming a specialized design bureau and completing pre-design work.
According to the USC press service, the result of the first stage of the program was the creation of a design bureau, whose employees have the necessary competencies in the field of diesel engine construction, which will allow them to start developing a low-speed engine in a short time and prepare the base for mass production.
Production of marine engines
USC
According to representatives of the corporation, the specialists of the established Design Bureau analyzed the specifications of low-speed engines, determined the list and composition of the documentation necessary for further development. Lists of materials for the manufacture of MOD parts and parts of the first stage of a long manufacturing cycle are also defined. The possibilities of manufacturing at USC enterprises and domestic machine-building enterprises are also evaluated.
"As part of the implementation of the first stage of the project, an industrial partner was involved – the Kingisepp Machine–Building Plant (KMZ), together with which a block of pre-design work was fully implemented," explained Sergey Bondarenko, USC Deputy General Director for Development and Operational Efficiency. – The successful completion of the first stage allows USC to complete cooperation with KMZ in this direction. In this regard, the corporation withdraws from the capital of KMZ and returns it to its former owners. USC's cooperation with KMZ was carried out exclusively within the framework of a pre-agreed stage of work on the MOD project, without interfering with operational processes and obligations under existing contracts. The production activities were managed by the former management of the enterprise."
At the next stage, in 2026, it is planned to start developing a technical design, a set of RCDs for the main parts and assemblies, and identify the manufacturing company.
According to USC, at the same time, the development of a complete set of RCDs, material records and basic manufacturing technology will continue. The optimal model for the production of individual parts and assemblies will be determined and the necessary technological equipment will be purchased. The production of the first low-speed engine for the domestic fleet, testing and certification is planned in 2027-2028.
The next stages of the project will be implemented with the involvement of a technology partner with expertise in advanced engineering.
"The Kronshtadt Engineering Center will become such a technological partner for us. We have reached an agreement that, as part of the project to develop a low-speed engine, Kronstadt will be a reliable partner for USC in terms of the most complex components of the MOD. The center will develop design documentation, as well as produce prototypes of complex systems and components for a low-speed engine. In June of this year, we signed a general partnership agreement. We will sign a binding document in the near future," Sergei Bondarenko added.
The day before, on January 14, it became known that the military-industrial holding "Kingisepp Machine-building Plant" left the USC . KMZ joined the corporation in July 2025. At that time, it was stated that KMZ would become the base site for the production of an import-substituting low-speed high-power engine.
