ARKHANGELSK, July 5 (AVN) - The Arkhangelsk region council has adopted a programme of civil orders for the Northern Machine-Building Enterprise (Sevmashpredpriyatie), a source in the region's administration told the Military News Agency.
According to him, the programme presupposes the submarine-makers will start producing equipment for paper-processing companies, city economic installations, peat production, etc.
At the moment conversion programmes make 30 percent of the company's total output. Two months from now it will reach 50 percent, the source went on.
The current state arrears to Sevmashpredpriyatie as of the already completed defence order total as much as RUR1.151bn (USD41m). This forces the company to seek new more reliable customers. The main production capacities of the company will be now almost fully switched to manufacturing off-shore drilling rigs.
The workshop that was used for assembling submarine hulls is already put under reconstruction. After that it will assemble the rigs for exploring a as field in the Barents Sea. The unfinished vessels will be moved to another workshop.