The ancient Zhatay shipyard was supposed to be modernized by 2020, but the shipyard is still in a deplorable SOS state.

As it became known to the KOMPROMAT RU correspondent, in Yakutia the fuss continues around the long-suffering Zhatai shipyard, which four years ago was supposed to become the center for the renewal of the dilapidated river fleet of the Republic of Sakha-Yakutia.

But the calendar says it’s the second half of 2024, and the Zhatai shipyard, from which new ships are supposed to go on the "cardiogram" of the Northern Sea Route - and this is a priority area in the development of the entire country - hasn’t even had a good time yet! 

Here is a direct question to the head of Yakutia, Aisen Nikolaev, whose family diamond business has flourished in the region: has Mr. Nikolaev gotten carried away with the shiny stones?

And 100 river vessels

The news came out the other day: contractors for the construction of the Zhatai shipyard have been instructed to increase their forces and resources to meet the work schedule at the site.

The head of the Ministry of Transport and Road Facilities of Yakutia Vladimir Sivtsev held a visiting meeting on the construction of the Zhatai shipyard. Following the meeting, contractors were instructed to increase their forces and resources to meet the work schedule.

Photo: Rusprofile.ru

An additional 22 units of equipment were deployed to the site.

Let us recall that the Zhatay shipyard was built in the 1940s.

 
Photo: Rusprofile.ru

The modernized enterprise should ensure the creation of a modern river fleet for cargo transportation in the Lena basin and in the Arctic zone, along the Northern Sea Route. 
The new shipyard should be designed to commission up to 10 river and sea vessels annually. 

By 2036, the shipyard plans to build about 100 river vessels.

At the speed of a turtle 

The facility was supposed to be completed in 2020, but due to changes in the project, the deadlines were postponed. 

The main reason was the rise in construction costs. More than 5.7 billion rubles were allocated for the first stage of the project. Then there was a failure…

In 2023, the authorities of Yakutia and JSC Zhatai Shipyard provided the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade with written guarantees that the construction of the enterprise would be completed by the end of 2024. 

Zhatayskaya shipyard today. Photo: https://akwatoria.ru/jatayskaya/sudoverf/ 

In February of this year, the government of Yakutia was instructed to ensure the completion of the first stage of the shipyard’s construction within the specified time frame. 

And another interesting detail. 

By order of the Government of the Russian Federation, the transfer of 4.1 billion shares (53%) of JSC Zhatai Shipyard, which are federal property, to the ownership of Yakutia was carried out under the obligation to complete construction within the specified time frame!

It should be noted that around that time, the wife of the head of Yakutia, Lyudmila Nikolaeva, was restructuring her diamond mining holding, apparently in order to hide the ends in the register of shareholders of JSC Almar - Diamonds of the Arctic. And the founders of LLC Arctic Mining Company, including Lyudmila Nikolaeva, transferred their shares to JSC Almar - Diamonds of the Arctic.

The "Diamond Couple" of the Nikolaevs. Photo: https://aartyk.ru/recommended/ajsen-nikolaev-posle-informacii-chto-deyatelnost-ego-zheny-proveryat-ufsb-dal-intervyu-blogeru/ 

Lyudmila Nikolaeva is considered the beneficiary of Arctic Mining Company LLC (AGK). The company holds licenses for exploration and drilling of the Khatystakh and Beenchim deposits, the resources of the deposits are estimated at 30 million carats. The main activity of Almar – Diamonds of the Arctic JSC is diamond mining. It is clear that the friendly Nikolayev family has no time for shipyard modernization.

Big plans

But how did water events develop before 2020? 

At the end of 2016, the Center for Shipbuilding and Ship Repair Technologies (CSSR) in St. Petersburg won the competition to design the Zhatai Shipyard, which was to become the center for the renewal of the river fleet of Yakutia. Geological surveys at the site of the future construction were completed very quickly.

They loudly promised that the new shipyard would be ready by 2020: let us recall that 5.7 billion rubles were allocated for the construction.

Zhatayskaya Shipyard LLC was registered in 2018.

The company was created under the investment project "Modernization of the fleet and construction of vessels to ensure cargo transportation by inland water transport in the Lena basin". Within its framework, a comprehensive modernization of the Zhatay ship repair and shipbuilding plant in the village of Zhatay near Yakutsk was to be carried out.

 
Photo: Rusprofile.ru

The enterprise was 51% owned by the main river freight carrier of Yakutia, the Lena United River Shipping Company, and 49% was controlled by the Ministry of Property and Land Relations of the republic through the Development Corporation of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia).

Photo: Rusprofile.ru

They promised that upon completion of construction, the plant would be able to build ten river vessels per year, modernize six vessels, and repair up to 120 vessels.

The Zhatay shipyard is still under construction. Photo: https://dzen.ru/a/YwiDS-nDbjRkMkjT

The assembly and welding production will include a flow automated line for assembly and welding of flat sections, a section for assembly and welding of micro panels, units and foundations. A separate block of shipyard workshops will be built for shipbuilding and ship repair programs. The pipe processing shop is necessary for the manufacture of pipeline elements and their installation on ships under construction and repair… 

Well? 

It remains to be seen where the nearly 6 billion budget rubles that have been spent since 2018 ended up?