Darkin abandons Nakhodka shipyard project after years of delays and rising costs
Sergei Darkin, the former governor of Primorsky Krai and owner of the Pacific Investment Group, has abandoned plans to build his own shipyard near Nakhodka. In an interview with the InfraNews portal, he explained that ordering trawlers from China is now far more cost-effective than constructing them at Russian shipyards.
Darkin recalled first discussing the idea of a new shipyard for medium- and large-tonnage vessels back in 2017, when Russia's "quota-for-keel" program was just launching. He revisited the plans in 2021, but they never progressed beyond talks. In the meantime, his business received one Project 5712LS crab-fishing vessel, built at the Nobel Brothers Shipyard in Rybinsk, Yaroslavl Region, while other projects were taken abroad.
The entrepreneur cited the current key interest rate and broader economic conditions as making shipbuilding an unsustainable investment. Even with internal funding, his group sees no feasible way to finance a new shipyard. He noted that two tugboats were ordered from China at nearly half the cost of Russian-built equivalents.
Darkin was sharply critical of the "quota-for-keel" program itself, arguing that it has failed to modernize Russia's fishing fleet. Few vessels have been built under the initiative, he said, while construction costs have soared to "prohibitive" levels, making it impossible for private owners to recoup their investments. He suggested that a significant portion of the subsidized funds had been misallocated, blaming managerial errors in the program's implementation.
His core asset remains the Nakhodka Active Marine Fishing Base, a major company with multiple subsidiaries. Its fleet primarily consists of large, autonomous trawlers targeting pollock, herring, squid, grenadier, lemon sole, and crab.
Darkin emphasized that he has no intention of leaving the port business. His Pacific Investment Group retains a stake in the Vladivostok Sea Fishing Port.
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