Sevmash, as part of the United Shipbuilding Corporation, participates in the International Military-Technical Forum "Army-2024", where leading enterprises and organizations present their developments and implemented projects. Ordinary Russians will not see Sevmash's projects in real life — powerful nuclear submarines are serving thousands of nautical miles on Russian maritime borders or are just preparing to strengthen the Russian Navy. In the last decade, the country's largest shipyard has noticeably gained production momentum in fulfilling the state defense order: 12 modern ships have been built in 12 years. Mikhail Budnichenko, General Director of the enterprise, Hero of Labor of the Russian Federation, told TASS how the GOZ program is being implemented and what other projects Sevmash manages to carry out along with the construction of the submarine.
— Mikhail Anatolyevich, if we compare the loading of Sevmash through the state defense order 20 years ago and now, is there a difference in the volume and pace of construction?
— What is happening at Sevmash now can be safely called the second birth of the plant. 20 years ago, we could only dream of such volumes of work and the pace of construction as today. In 2004, we had two lead nuclear submarines of the Yasen and Borey projects on the slipway — Severodvinsk and Yuri Dolgoruky, laid down in 1993 and 1996, and one production ship Alexander Nevsky. Its construction just began 20 years ago — the laying took place on the Day of the Submariner. It was then that a clear prospect began to be outlined for us to create two series of nuclear submarines, which are designed by USC design bureaus with a long and rich history — TSKBMT Rubin and SPMBM Malachite. We regularly began to lay new ships. 2014 was a record year. Then four nuclear submarines were laid on the stocks. For 20 years, we have managed to restore cooperation, which was completely destroyed in the 90s, to revive the lost and create new technologies that have no analogues. To preserve the core of professionals and recruit several thousand young people, train them, put them through a mentoring system and make them highly qualified specialists who fully ensure the fulfillment of the state defense order today.
— And how are things at the shipyard now?
— We transfer two or three ships a year to the fleet. Thanks to the support of the country's leadership and the government decisions taken on the construction of nuclear-powered ships, a new generation submarine fleet is being formed today. In terms of tactical and technical characteristics, our ships have no equal in the world!
— In which fleets do the ships built on the Sevmash serve?
— Our ships are on duty in the Northern and Pacific Fleets. By the way, we have branches of the company there that perform warranty service work. Several ships of the Borey-A and Yasen-M projects are under construction at Sevmash. In February of this year, we took the nuclear submarine Prince Pozharsky of the Borey-A project out of the boathouse and began testing it during the summer navigation. The nuclear-powered ship Arkhangelsk is also being tested by sea. All work — both in the workshops and at sea — is carried out in accordance with the schedules designated by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. Our main task is to build reliable ships on time and with high quality.
— Is the 85-year-old plant coping with such a high load?
— Taking into account this task, we are doing a lot of work on the reconstruction of Sevmash's facilities without stopping production. It is carried out within the framework of the United Shipbuilding Corporation program. The company purchases modern equipment, which makes it possible to shorten the construction time of ships. More recently, we have started replacing gantry cranes, which are designed to perform completion, installation, loading and unloading operations and are actively used in the construction and testing of fourth-generation nuclear submarines.
Within the framework of the USC dock program, with the support of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, new dry docks and hydraulic structures of enterprises are being built and reconstructed according to the advanced financing scheme. The program projects are being implemented at 16 enterprises of the corporation, including Sevmash. The company is building a floating dock "Sukhona" project 02122, which is designed for lifting and launching ships on a horizontal slipway, as well as docking and repair work. The dock will become one of the largest facilities implemented by Sevmash in terms of displacement. With its help, the company will ensure the reliability of transport operations for the transfer of orders under construction and under repair from the boathouse to the enterprise's water area. The construction is scheduled to be completed in 2026. And this month, the company completed and handed over the project 1418 batoport to the customer. The hydraulic engineering structure is part of a dry dock designed for the repair of ships and vessels.
— How does your main customer assess the ships built at Sevmash?
— We receive high marks from the Commander-in-Chief, the fleet command, the ship commanders and the submariners themselves. Ships are intensively operated in the seas and oceans. A vivid illustration of what our nuclear submarines are capable of is the recent successful transatlantic crossing of the Kazan nuclear submarine.
After completing the exercises in the Atlantic, our missile carrier, as part of a group of ships of the Northern Fleet, arrived at the port of the Cuban capital Havana. The whole world was watching this event. I think the Kazan nuclear submarine has once again confirmed with this transition that the ships of this series have completely new qualities. This is a huge step into the future, ships of the XXI century. They have increased stealth, maneuverability and other parameters.
— Does the fulfillment of the state defense order remain the main activity of Sevmash?
— The main thing, but not the only one. We have built more than two thirds of the entire nuclear submarine fleet of the Soviet Union. Currently, no shipyard in Russia, except Sevmash, creates such complex and high-tech equipment. In 84 years, 140 nuclear submarines of four generations have descended from the stocks of our plant.
In addition, we have restored competence in surface military shipbuilding — we are modernizing the ship of the 11442M project. An important project is the modernization of the aircraft carrier into the aircraft carrier Vikramaditya for India. We have completed this work, and the Indian side was very pleased. Since 2013, the ship has been serving in the seas and oceans, the equipment works flawlessly.
— Are there any civil projects among the company's orders that Sevmash is proud of?
— Sevmash has created a number of other unique projects that you can be proud of. In terms of civilian products, this is, of course, the sea ice—resistant Prirazlomnaya platform, a kind of island in the Pechora Sea. The 500,000-ton structure has been producing oil on the Arctic shelf since 2014 and is working very successfully in the interests of Gazprom. There are no analogues in the world. Currently, we have a number of unique civil projects. These are the underwater guided vehicle "Jason", marine bearings of our design and production, and a number of other significant civil projects. All this is the merit and glory of Sevmash.
— As you know, the merits of the plant did not go unnoticed?
— It is especially pleasant that the work of shipbuilders is appreciated by the country's leadership. This year, on May 1, the President of Russia signed a decree awarding the enterprise with the badge of honor "For success in work." This event took place in the year of the 85th anniversary of the plant. For our team of thousands, this is not only a high assessment, but also a great responsibility. We will strive to work more efficiently, more efficiently, and this year will be no exception. The Fleet will receive ships in a timely manner that will strengthen the maritime component of our nuclear triad.
