A few days ago, the United Shipbuilding Corporation announced the completion of the formation of a new structural division. To work with the Black Sea Fleet and the Caspian Flotilla of the Russian Navy, the Southern Center for Shipbuilding and Ship Repair was created. The center includes five shipbuilding and repair plants. These are Novorossiysk, Tuapsinsky and Kriushinsky shipbuilding and ship repair plants, as well as the Astrakhan enterprises “Shipyards im. Karl Marx "and" Lotus ". The main task of the South Center is construction and repair support of the Black Sea Fleet and the Caspian Flotilla. Moreover, it seems that work with the Black Sea sailors will have a higher priority. The official ceremony for the establishment of the center will take place on 4 February.
The creation of the South Center for Shipbuilding and Ship Repair became known a few months ago, when the management of the USC announced their intentions to create another center, in addition to the North, West and Far East. Thus, all the operational and strategic formations of the Russian Navy received their own shipbuilding and ship repair centers. The experience of previous years has shown the benefits of such a solution, which ultimately led to the creation of the last center.
It is noteworthy that the creation of the Southern Center, primarily intended for work with the Black Sea Fleet, in the current situation has a special priority. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, a considerable part of the infrastructure of the Black Sea Fleet, as well as part of the ships, went to independent Ukraine. In view of a number of controversial issues, some of which have not yet been resolved, the Russian Black Sea Fleet experienced a number of serious problems related to the construction and repair of ships. In past years, the Black Sea Fleet received equipment, in the overwhelming majority of cases, produced at the nearby enterprises. Now, for obvious reasons, it is very often necessary to ferry finished ships and submarines from the Baltic or northern shipyards. It is not hard to guess how logistics and repair procedures become more complicated in this case.
First of all, proceeding from such considerations, at one time the leadership of the fleet and the industry began to create regional centers for shipbuilding and ship repair. However, it is not entirely clear why the center on the Black Sea and Caspian "directions" appeared last. At present, in the light of the events in the Middle East and North Africa, the development of the Black Sea Fleet has the highest priority, because it is this unit that is based closest to the areas of tension and can react faster than others to emerging threats. Nevertheless, the leadership of the Navy and the USC, for some reason, decided to build the centers in this sequence. Perhaps it was decided to work out the creation and mechanisms of operation of shipbuilding centers on the basis of the already existing developed infrastructures of the Northern and Pacific fleets and only then make a similar structure in the Black Sea Fleet and the Caspian Flotilla. One way or another, now, despite the difference in the time of creation, all formations of the Russian Navy will have their own shipbuilding and ship repair centers.
Judging by the available information, during the first years the main task of the Southern Center will be the maintenance of the existing fleet equipment, including those built at other enterprises. At the same time, USC will modernize production facilities, which will subsequently make it possible to resume the construction of ships at the Black Sea shipyards. After the start of the construction of new ships, the Black Sea Fleet and its auxiliary infrastructure can be called fully independent. Among other things, the resumption of the construction of new equipment will be useful in view of the geographical position of the Black Sea Fleet. Under certain circumstances, during an armed conflict, the ships of the Black Sea Fleet can be locked in the sea. In this case, all repair work will have to be carried out by our own enterprises, since it will not be possible to overtake one or another ship to the plant where it was built. In addition, we are talking about the restoration of the former prestige. In Soviet times, a large number of the largest and most complex ships were built at the Black Sea shipyards. Now the palm in this respect has passed to the factories of other regions.
And yet it must be admitted that the creation of the South Center for Shipbuilding and Ship Repair is not even half the battle. In addition to structural changes, there are many other things to be done. Due to controversial political issues, the Black Sea Fleet is now going through hard times and, as a result, is losing a tangible part of its combat potential. The organization of the South Center actually solves only the issue of maintenance and repair. Other important problems are the creation and modernization of supply points, basing, etc. - so far it has yet to be decided. The issue of building new facilities has already been repeatedly raised at various levels and, it seems, is now moving from the stage of conversations to the stage of real affairs. However, even here there is every reason to assume certain problems. Points of basing, supply, etc. should be located on the coast, and the Black Sea coast has long been a resort area. In addition, the location of a military facility implies some requirements for transport routes and coastline parameters. Because of this, the construction of new facilities in the most convenient locations may conflict with the interests of third parties, for example, traders involved in the tourism business. Their reaction to the plans of the military can be very different.
It is worth noting that private interests should not be a reason for a major change in plans regarding the country's security. Of course, most likely, it will be necessary to work out some mechanism for reconciliation of the parties, but the priority in this case should be the modernization of the naval infrastructure. Recent events in the Mediterranean region call for urgent action to improve the condition of the Black Sea Fleet. In addition, the complexity of the whole situation with him is increasing due to disputes over the lease of objects on the territory of Ukraine. So, because of all the problems, tasks and difficulties, the current work on the creation of the South Center for Shipbuilding and Ship Repair is actually only the first step of a long and long way.
