Amur Shipyard cleared to build Gorshkov-class frigates

Amur Shipyard has received a new licence that will enable it to build Gorshkov-class frigates. (Russia's Northern Fleet Press Service)

Amur Shipyard in Komsomolsk-on-Amur has received a new licence to carry out the construction, maintenance, and sale of weapons and military equipment, Russia's Ministry of Industry and Trade for the Khabarovsk Territory has announced.

According to the statement, issued on 7 December, licensed products also include warships of Project 22350 Gorshkov class.

This announcement follows on from an earlier statement from Alexey Abrosimov, head of the industry department at the Khabarovsk Ministry of Industry and Trade, who told TASS on 28 November that Amur Shipyard had a production plan in place that would run until 2033 and that this plan included the construction of an unspecified number of Gorshkov-class frigates.

In recent years Amur Shipyard has primarily constructed Project 20380 and Project 20385 Steregushchiy-class frigates and Project 22800 Uragan-class missile boats.

In order to build the significantly larger Gorshkov-class frigates, infrastructure improvements are necessary and some of these are already under way. A new launching dock, to be named Amurets, was laid down in June 2023, and a new transport dock is planned to commence construction in the spring of 2024. The latter is required because the Amur shipyard lacks the space and facilities to fit out large warships and therefore, they need to be transported to Vladivostok post launch.