IMarEST hosts Russian-UK bilateral shipbuilding talks

With major changes underway in the Russian shipbuilding industry, where up to 1400 vessels and offshore platforms are to be built by 2020; its leaders are planning a visit to the UK. Mr Vladimir Alexandrov, Director General of the Admiralty Shipyards and President of the Science & Technology Society of Shipbuilders of the Russian Federation will lead the visit to the UK this month to hold bilateral talks, hosted by the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST), with their UK counterparts.
The group of 14 key players in the Russian maritime industry will arrive in London on 9 March. On 10 March, after being officially welcomed by Keith Read CBE, the Chief Executive of IMarEST, and Michael Everard CBE, shortly to be appointed the 107th President of the Institute, the group will travel to Portsmouth for a cultural visit including a tour HMS Victory and dine aboard HMS Warrior, the first iron clad warship.
On 11 March the group will meet at IMarEST HQ in the City of London for bilateral talks with UK experts.  “We are delighted to be hosting these important talks and facilitating further understanding between the two nations at a time when we are celebrating our 120th anniversary,” says Keith Read. “In addition to being key figures in the Russian shipbuilding industry, many of our guests are Fellows of IMarEST.
“The talks on the Wednesday will focus on exchanging views on technology (innovation, ship design, and propulsion); skills and training; the global shipping industry; shipping finance; commercial aspects; regulation and management (e.g. steamlining). We look forward to introducing our guests from Russia to UK and international leaders from Government, industry, the International Chamber of Shipping, and other key organisations, and thus encouraging the exchange of views on maritime technology. We thank both ABS and the Russian Unified Shipbuilding Corporation for their sponsorship of these important talks.”
The Russian Shipbuilding Industry incorporates 170 enterprises, 114 of which are production enterprises and 56 research and development organisations. Between them they employ some 200,000 people.
By 2020 Russia plans to build some 1400 vessels including 26 icebreakers ranging in size from harbour icebreakers to a nuclear powered icebreaker; 27 research ships; seven offshore nuclear power plants for Northern regions; 40 gas carriers (including vessels with ice reinforcement); marine equipment for shelf development including 25-30 exploration and production platforms and 80-90 supply vessels and technical support vessels; up to 230 tankers (incl DWT over 70,000 t) such as bulk carriers, universal and multi-purpose vessels and timber ships; 25-30 seagoing passenger and freight ferries; up to 180 fishing vessels; and up to 750 other ships for upgrading the Russian fleet (river service ships and mixed river-sea-going ships, technical support vessels, domestic needs and state supervision ships, etc).
The Russian group will be invited to attend IMarEST’s conference ‘The next 120 years of excellence’ on 12 March, which sees future challenges and opportunities reviewed against the background of IMarEST’s 120 years of achievement; and then on 13 March they will be attending IMarEST’s 106th annual dinner at which Michael Everard will make his first speech as President of the Institute; and the Principal guest will be Mr Efthimios Mitropoulos HonFIMarEST, Secretary-General, International Maritime Organization; and the reply will be given by The Revd Canon Bill Christianson, Secretary-General, The Mission to Seafarers.