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The President, together with Deputy Prime Minister – Plenipotentiary Presidential Envoy to the Far Eastern Federal District Yury Trutnev, Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin and General Director of the Zvezda shipbuilding complex Sergei Tseluiko, inspected the enterprise’s premises, the vessels and facilities under construction, and the information stands.

Separately, Igor Sechin reported to the President on the activities of the Zvezda shipyard, the work of the Primorsky Metallurgical Plant and the development of Rosneft’s flagship project, Vostok Oil.

Zvezda is the largest shipbuilding complex in Russia, being built on the instruction of the President in the city of Bolshoi Kamen by a consortium of investors headed by Rosneft. The project has been underway since 2016. During this time, 12 vessels have been set afloat, four of which have been handed over to customers and are operating at sea: these are Aframax oil tankers. The complex’s portfolio includes about 60 vessels in total.

The Valentin Pikul shuttle tanker is 257 metres long, with a carrying capacity (deadweight) of 69,000 tonnes, and excellent manoeuvrability. The capacity of the Alexei Kosygin 300-metre long LNG tanker is over 172,000 cubic metres. Both vessels are capable of breaking ice 2 metres thick.

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Speech at name-giving ceremony for new vessels

President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Good evening, friends, colleagues,

Today marks an important event for the Russian shipbuilding industry and the country's transport sector. Two new civilian fleet vessels will be given names.

The oil tanker will be named after writer Valentin Pikul, who is loved by many and whose work is largely dedicated to Russian history, our fleet and the defenders of our Far Eastern borders.

The gas tanker is named after Alexei Kosygin, a statesman, Chairman of the USSR Council of Ministers, a man who made an immense contribution to the development of the Far East, our country, the economy, its key industries, and proved himself a talented organiser during the Great Patriotic War.

I am confident that the new vessels will be worthy of these glorious names. After all, these are state-of-the-art and powerful sea-going vessels equipped with the latest technology and are, without exaggeration, among the best in their class internationally.

They can operate at extremely low temperatures, in harsh climates, to navigate ice barriers and to carry large volumes of oil and gas.

The development of this fleet is of great importance to our country, which is an Arctic power, in order to implement our long-term strategy for developing the Arctic, ensuring reliable transport along the Northern Sea Route, global transport and logistics routes, and strengthening our country and the entire world’s energy security.

I would like to thank engineers, designers and workers of Zvezda shipyards, in a word, everyone who put their talent, effort and professional knowledge into the construction of new vessels and worked with utmost dedication.

Your large team will face new important tasks, including increasing localisation of production and wide use of domestic developments and solutions. I am absolutely sure that with each new ship delivered, the level of localisation at Zvezda will increase.

Once again, friends, I congratulate you on today's major event and wish all of you the best of luck and, as the seafarers’ tradition goes, fair winds and seven feet under the keel to the crews of the new ships.

Congratulations.