SOCHI, May 21 (RIA Novosti) – Vladimir Shmakov, first deputy CEO of tank manufacturer Uralvagonzavod, has been appointed head of Russia’s state-run United Shipbuilding Corporation in a bid to shake up deliveries of warships to the navy, President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday.
“USC will be headed by Shmakov," Putin said at a government meeting at his Black Sea residence, which discussed the development of domestic shipbuilding.
Shmakov was listed at the government meeting as acting head of USC. The state corporation’s previous boss, Andrei Dyachkov, who had headed USC for just ten months, was reported to have resigned on May 6 after government criticism of his work and the company’s failure to meet deadlines for defense shipbuilding.
“Today I request that a report be prepared on the causes of delays in the implementation of defense shipbuilding projects and on measures to remedy the situation,” Putin said at Tuesday's government meeting.
Putin said United Shipbuilding Corporation had substantial financial, production and intellectual resources.
“However, problems still remain with the timeframes and the quality of the fulfillment of contracts, including defense orders. There are unjustifiable delays in the construction and delivery of a whole number of nuclear-powered submarines and warships to the navy,” Putin said.
Shmakov said USC would focus on the state defense order to provide the navy with modern warships and submarines, building ships and equipment for offshore oil projects, and also nuclear-powered ice breakers.
United Shipbuilding Corporation, established in 2007, is Russia’s largest shipbuilding and ship repair company. It comprises nine design bureaus and 39 shipyards. USC currently accounts for 70 percent of the domestic shipbuilding industry, according to its website. The corporation is wholly owned by the state.
