The Kherson Shipyard[1] (Ukrainian: Херсонський суднобудівний завод (ХСЗ)) is a joint stock company located in Kherson, Ukraine at the mouth of the Dnieper River.[2] The shipyard specializes in building merchant ships to include dry cargo ships, tankers, ice-breakers, container-ships, drilling vessels, and floating dry docks. In 1983, the shipyard delivered the impressive Alexei Kosygin class (named after Soviet Premier Alexei Kosygin) of Arctic barge carriers (40,900 tons deadweight (DWT)).[3]
History
Soviet Ukraine
The city of Kherson was founded in 1778 on a fortress place, which protected the lands of Russian Empire from Turkish raids. Kherson's proximity to the Black Sea initiated shipbuilding and people settlement in the estuary of the Dnieper river.[2]
In 1953 first Soviet tanker ships Kherson and Grozny completed in this shipyard. A few years later, the production of dry cargo ships began. In 1965, one of the first ocean-going dry cargo gas turbines in the former Soviet Union, the Paris Commune, was built at the plant. In 1970, the main Soviet icebreaker and transport vessel, Captain Myshevsky was built at the shipyard.
Independent Ukraine
During Ukraine's independence, Kherson Shipyard built about 25 different ships, including 13 tankers for shipowners in Norway, Denmark, Russia, two Arctic supply vessels for clients in South Africa and China, and four multi-purpose dry cargo ships for the Philippines and Norway.
In 2010, the plant was engaged in the construction of a series of anchor vessels for the Norwegian company Myklebust Prosjekt AS, as well as ship repair and production of river tankers for the Dutch company Veka Shipbuilding BV.
In autumn 2019, the company is carrying out preparatory work for the installation of equipment for thermal cutting of metal SAPPHIRE of the Polish company "ECKERT".[4]
Facilities and Services
The shipyard consists of two main production areas:[2]
- Production Area No. 1 is where units up to 2,000 tons are formed in what is called the Large Unit Building to be further moved on to the building berth (two building berth lines, each 300 meters (980 ft) long).
- Production Area No. 2 is where hull forming is carried out in a roofed building berth on two building berth lines each 240 meters (790 ft) long.
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Length
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Width
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Draft
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Launching Weight
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| Area No. 1
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180–185 meters (5901⁄2—607 ft)
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25.5 meters (84 ft)
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4.5 meters (15 ft)
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10,000 tons
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| Area No. 2
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140–160 meters (459–525 ft)
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32.5 meters (107 ft)
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4.0 meters (13.1 ft)
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6,000 tons
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| 3 Outfitting quays
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The hull assembling and metal processing facilities performs pre-processing of rolled metal to include straightening, shot-blasting, priming, cutting, and bending. Specific capabilities include:[2]
- Straightening and shot-blasting of rolled metal plates up to 50 millimeters (2.0 in) thick; the plasma and gas cutting machines can cut metal plates up to 16 centimeters (6.3 in) thick.
- Bending of metal plates up to 50 millimetres (2.0 in) thick of all types and shapes, including shaped bends by profile gauge and frame work, bottom stamping of plates up to 10 millimeters (0.39 in) thick, with diameters ranging from 350 millimeters (14 in) to 800 millimeters (31 in).
- Assembly and welding of flat sections sizing 16 meters (52 ft) x 25.3 meters (83 ft) and volumetric units up to 85–180 tons. Production of sections and units facilitated by using 5 to 125 tons overhead cranes and semi- and fully automatic welding equipment.
