United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) said the modernization of Severnaya Verf in St. Petersburg is expected to begin in Q3 2026, with the shipyard reiterating that ongoing shipbuilding programs are planned to continue without interruption during the upgrade.
The renovation program centers on adding new, purpose-built production infrastructure. Plans include a 100 m-high indoor dry dock fitted with a crane rated for lifts of up to 1,000 t, alongside new warehouse capacity and dedicated painting areas. The project is scheduled for completion in 2030, when the overall factory footprint is expected to almost double to 1 million m².
After the upgrade, Severnaya Verf is set to fully implement a hull block assembly approach. Under this method, individual hull blocks—pre-assembled and painted before final integration—can weigh up to 900 t. The change is intended to support a higher build tempo, with the yard expected to be able to construct and deliver up to 11 large vessels per year.
The upgraded site is planned to target a broad mix of commercial and specialized tonnage, including Aframax tankers, LNG carriers, container ships, bulk carriers, and research vessels.
United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC), operated by VTB Bank, was established in March 2007. The group owns more than 40 enterprises spanning design bureaus, research centers, shipyards, ship repair facilities, and machinery manufacturing plants. It consolidates a large share of Russia’s domestic shipbuilding resources, employs more than 9,000 staff, and produces commercial vessels as well as naval platforms, including nuclear submarines and aircraft carriers.
