Amure Shipbuilding Factory (Amurskiy Sudostroitelnyy Zavod) (Komsomolsk-on-Amur)

 production, shipbuilding

Former Soviet Nuclear Submarine Builder known as Leninskiy Komsomol shipyard
LOCATION: Komsomolsk-na-Amure

SUBORDINATION:
While the Amurskiy Sudostroitelnyy Zavod has been privatized, it remains subject to state policies regarding military and civilian production promulgated by the Russian Shipbuilding Agency.[1] As of September 1995, 20 percent of its stock was held by the state.[2]

ADMINISTRATION:
General Director: Nikolay Grigoryevich Povzyk
[Sergey Akulich, "U amurskikh korabelov novyy direktor i... staryye problemy," Tikhookeanskaya zvezda, 12 October 1999, p. 1. ]{Entered 2/24/2000 CC}

CRITICAL ASSEMBLIES: One
[List of Research Reactors, Critical and Subcritical Assemblies Supervised by Gosatomnadzor, 13 July 1992.]

FUEL:
In addition to any fuel thatThis is stored at Amurskiy Sudostroitelnyy Zavod for use in the critical assembly, it is likely that fresh HEU fuel for the start-up of the reactor on the 60 percent-complete Akula SSN is also located here (see below for more details).
[James Clay Moltz, "Trip Report: Vladivostok and Khabarovsk, Russia," 15-22 October 1999, RUS991015.] {Entered 11/18/99 TR}

ACTIVITIES:
Formerly Shipyard No. 199, Amurskiy Sudostroitelnyy Zavod (also known as the Leninskiy Komsomol shipyard) began operations in 1957, and completed its first Echo I SSGN submarine in 1960.[1] Primarily a submarine facility, the shipyard produced a total of 56 submarines from 1960 to 1996. Because the shallow waters of the Amur River prevented the launching of large vessels, Amurskiy Zavod built smaller SSBNs (Yankees and Delta Is), SSNs (Akulas and Victor IIIs), and Kilo diesel submarines.[2]

In November 1992, President Boris Yeltsin announced the termination of nuclear submarine construction at Amurskiy Zavod and the consolidation of future nuclear submarine production at the Sevmash shipyard in Severodvinsk.[1,2] An Akula SSN (K-295, Drakon), completed at Bolshoy Kamen's Vostok Plant (Primorskiy Kray) in 1995, was the last nuclear submarine released from the Komsomolsk-na-Amure plant.[4]

The workers’ collective decided to turn the plant into a joint stock company for the production of civilian ships and consumer goods.[3] Despite the presidential order, however, two nuclear submarines remained under construction at the facility. The two submarines are Shchuka-B (NATO Name 'Akula II') class submarines that are likely to be deployed to the Pacific Fleet.[4] During Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's October 1999 visit to the facility, it was decided that one submarine would be completed, and the other used for spare parts in Severodvinsk.[7] As of October 1999, the former submarine was 80% complete, with its reactor running. The latter submarine was 60% complete. It is likely that fresh fuel is being stored at Amurskiy Zavod for the planned start-up of this submarine reactor.

However, so many key personnel left the facility because of wage arrears, that completion of either of these two submarines is unlikely even if the Ministry of Defense provided the funding to do so.[6] As of August 1998, only 5,000 out of 20,000 employees remained at Amurskiy Zavod. This decline in numbers came about when nuclear submarine production came to a virtual standstill. In July 1998 alone, the facility released 3,500 employees.

Amurskiy Zavod completed work in fall 1997 on a liquid nuclear waste filtration facility built under contract to the Japanese Tomen group for installation at Bolshoy Kamen's Zvezda plant.

Sources:
[1] Oleg Bukharin and Joshua Handler, "Russian Nuclear-Powered Submarine Decommissioning," Science & Global Security, vol. 5, 1995, pp. 250-251.
[2] Bellona Report, www.ngo.grida.no/.../nfl/index.htm; "Yeltsin: No More Red Submarines?" Arms Control Today, November 1992, p. 35.
[3] Radio Vladivostok, 16 October 1992; in "Russia to Cease Building Nuclear Subs in Far East," FBIS Proliferation Issues, 28 October 1992, p. 20.
[4] Interfax, "Payments for Two Nuclear Submarines Uncertain," in FBIS-UMA-97-190, 9 July 1997.
[5] Vremya newscast, Russian Public Television Network, 25 August 1998; in "Hunger-Strikers Highlight Decline of Komsomolsk," FBIS-SOV-98-239, 27 August 1998. {Entered 4/21/99 HA}
[6] James Clay Moltz, "Trip Report: Vladivostok and Khabarovsk, Russia," 15-22 October 1999, RUS991015. {Updated 11/18/99 TR}
[7] Vremya newscast, 27 October 1999; in "Russian Premier Visits Nuke Sub and Aircraft Plants," FBIS Document FTS19991104001084.{Updated 2/24/2000 CC}