Okskaya Shipyard OJSC is a shipbuilding company in the Nizhny Novgorod Region located near the city of Navashino. It specializes in the assembly of oil-tankers of the "river-sea" class, medium-tonnage vessels, tugboats, patrol boats, dry cargo ships, bunker carriers, road floating bridges.
Creature
The foundation of the Oka Shipyard is directly related to ... hydrocarbon production on the Absheron Peninsula in Azerbaijan, located thousands of kilometers from the plant. At the end of the 19th century, oil and kerosene were transported from Baku to Central Russia along the Volga and tributaries in barrels by ordinary vessels. Their loading, transshipment and unloading took a long time. As a result, the cost of production was 20% higher than petroleum products delivered from America.
In 1873, the Astrakhan merchants Artemyevs invented a cheaper and more rational method of transportation without using barrels - in a tarred casket where oil was pumped. This method is rapidly spreading. But since tanker transport ships were mostly wooden, there were frequent spills of raw materials, which adversely affected the river ecosystem.
Ultimately, the government strongly recommended the use of metal tankers for oil transportation, but there were extremely few. Enterprising industrialists hastened to occupy a profitable niche in the shipbuilding market. The first 3000-9000-ton tankers began to build the Gorokhovets shipyard. A year later, in 1907, the Kulebak factory artel, the forerunner of the Oka Shipyard, took up their construction.
Pre-revolutionary period
By 1912, the company was the largest builder of barges and oil tankers on the Volga. Among his clients was the Nobel Brothers Partnership. The first courts were given women's names: “Yaroslavna”, “Olga the Wise” and “Catherine the Great”.
By 1917, the shipyard launched about 60 boats. Among them:
- 30 barges;
- 20 scows;
- schooners;
- tugboats;
- motor ships.
In addition to ships, the plant manufactured bridge metal structures, caissons, reservoirs, mine pipes, tanks, locomotive tender tanks.
The first five-year plans
After the revolution, the enterprise was nationalized. A new round in its development began in 1935. On the initiative of the director of the Oka Shipyard, a new technology was introduced into production - welding - which allowed to abandon more labor-intensive riveting. The first all-welded vessel was the 6,000-ton barge Komsomolskaya Sudoplatova.
Before the war, the shipyard delivered 139 boats to customers, 14 of which are self-propelled. During the Second World War, most of the men of the plant fought, production volumes fell significantly. With the end of World War II, the company again “breathed deeply”. Equipment was updated, capacities and volumes of work increased, new workshops opened.
Further development
The construction of the Volga-Don Canal in 1960 made it possible to connect two large transport water systems: the Volga River and the Don River. It also opened access to the ports of the Azov and Black Seas. As a result, freight traffic has increased significantly. In these circumstances, Oka Shipyard received a large order for the construction of 5300-ton dry cargo vessels of the 507th series. This type of vessel became the base, it served as a prototype for many subsequent models and modifications. The enterprise manufactured 175 units of the Volzhsky and Volga-Don class.
In 1970-1980, the Oka Shipyard launched the production of container ships of project 1588 and 15881. 23 vessels of this type were launched. We also commissioned specific projects to the team. For example, in 1974, the Serebryanka radioactive water collection ship was commissioned. In 1985 the Flurry test bench was built for the Navy.
Our days
In 1990-2000, the company continued to operate. Dozens of tankers, bulk carriers, boats, 11 floating bridges were made. Over the past five years alone, the shipyard has manufactured 37 vessels. Of them:
- 12 tankers of the RST series;
- 10 dry cargo vessels of the RSD series;
- 9 construction ships;
- one bunker project 92800, fire tow and boat type 21270.
An important advantage of the plant are:
- rich experience in the design and manufacture of medium-tonnage self-propelled vessels, barges, floating bridges;
- well-equipped production base;
- convenient location: the industrial site is connected to the world by water, rail and road.
According to Vladimir Pavlovich Kulikov, Director General of Oka Shipyard, the company is looking to the future with confidence. It is part of the international transport group UCL Holding, which unites more than 40 enterprises.