KALININGRAD. Jan 21 (Interfax-AVN) - Production of the Novik guard ship will continue at the Yantar shipyard, the shipyard's director general Nikolai Volov told Interfax-Military News Agency on Monday.
The shipyard is supposed to receive the funds necessary to continue the vessel's production in 2002, the director said.
According to Volov, the share of military orders in Yantar's output makes 22 percent. The shipyard leadership wants to make the ratio optimal, i.e. to have 30 percent of state orders and 70 percent of commercial ones. The continuation of the Novik's production will make it possible, Volov said.
Speaking about the Novik readiness, Volov added that out of 136 sections 96 are being produced including the last third block of the hull.
"If the Novik production had stopped as it was announced in late 2001, the Kaliningrad region budget would not have received RUB447m (USD14.6m). Moreover, the shipyard would have had to fire 1,500 people, which could lead to USD120m worth of losses," Volov stressed.