Current state and prospects of large-tonnage shipbuilding and low-speed marine diesel engine production in Russia

The article presents an overview of the current state of the Russian shipbuilding industry, with a focus on the capabilities of domestic shipyards to build large-tonnage vessels. The study addresses the critical dependence of Russian shipbuilding and ship propulsion systems on imported marine engines, as well as the need to ensure national technological sovereignty in the maritime sector. The object of the study is the Russian shipbuilding industry, while the subject is the production capacity of leading enterprises and the feasibility of developing high-power low-speed marine engines. The aim of the study is to assess the industry’s readiness for large-tonnage shipbuilding and marine engine production. The research is based on the analysis of open sources and strategic documents, mathematical modelling of the required propulsion power in accordance with the recommendations of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), and comparison with the world’s leading marine engine manufacturers. The results show that the number of building berths suitable for Aframax-class commercial vessels is close to the limits set in strategic planning documents, while the physical capacity to build vessels with a displacement of more than 100,000 tonnes remains limited and requires shipyard modernization. The absence of domestic production of low-speed marine engines with a power output exceeding 7 MW creates a systemic gap caused not only by the impossibility of purchasing such engines, but also by the difficulties associated with international industrial cooperation. Import substitution of main engines requires not only production facilities, but also the revival of engineering research schools, including technological schools and schools specializing in the calculation of thermodynamic and dynamic loads. A separate challenge is the design of ice-strengthened vessels for year-round operation on the Northern Sea Route. Such vessels require power output of up to 45 MW, which cannot be provided by a single low-speed engine. At the same time, the installation of several such engines is a complex technical task that involves the design of the entire propulsion system and an integrated ship power plant.

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