MURMANSK, March 27. /TASS/. The Zhatai Shipyard's first stage construction is about to be completed, and the first vessel will be laid by the end of April, Yakutia's Governor Aisen Nikolaev said at the International Arctic Forum.
"The Zhatai Shipyard's first stage construction is about to be completed. It is a new project, and we hope that at the end of April, on the Region Day, we will lay the first ship there," he said.
The governor pointed to necessary federal support for building ships. "We understand that at current rates and without mechanisms of long-term concessional financing for fleet upgrade, this will be another burden for the regions," he explained.
The Zhatai Shipyard, which will make ships for Yakutia's Arctic rivers, will build annually 10 vessels to serve the Northern Supplies Program.
About the forum
The sixth International Arctic Forum is being held in the Murmansk Region for the first time. The Forum serves as a platform for discussing the socio-economic development of the Arctic territories, including multilateral strategies for how to harness the region’s vast resources.
A key focus is the Northern Sea Route’s expansion, coinciding with the 500th anniversary of its exploration.
TASS is the information partner of the forum.