The President stressed the shipbuilding industry’s strategic significance for the country.
Mr Putin noted that the industry has been in difficulty for many years now and instructed the Government to come up with administrative and financial support measures for the sector. These measures include the 2008–2015 federal targeted programme for developing civilian and military marine equipment, real support for the main shipbuilding centres, and restructuring decisions that would help the industry develop.
Mr Putin said that efforts should focus on promising areas in which the Russian shipbuilding industry could secure an important niche on world markets.
The meeting approved the decision to create a new holding company – the united Shipbuilding Corporation (OSK), which will unite state financial assets in the shipbuilding industry. Existing design and development assets will be merged in the new corporation. A decision was also approved to create three regional sub-holdings subordinate to the OSK: the Northern Sub-Holding, which would bring together the shipbuilding enterprises of Severodvinsk; the Western Sub-Holding, which would bring together the shipbuilding enterprises of St. Petersburg and Kaliningrad; and the Far-East Sub-Holding. These three sub-holding companies will be based around existing shipbuilding facilities.
Taking part in the meeting were Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office Sergei Sobyanin, First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov, Economic Development and Trade Minister German Gref, First Deputy Chairman of the Military-Industrial Commission Vladislav Putilin, and Industry and Energy Minister Viktor Khristenko.