Kim is confident in Mykolaiv's shipbuilding potential to build drones and missile boats

The head of Mykolaiv Oblast, Vitalii Kim, believes that the city has a chance to revive shipbuilding, but in a different format. Photo: NikVesti

Vitalii Kim, head of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration, said that the city retains its potential in shipbuilding, but in a different format and with smaller capacities.

He said this in a comment to a correspondent of NikVesti.

It should be noted that recently, in an interview, the head of the Danish Embassy's office in Mykolaiv, Jakob Hansen, said that Mykolaiv shipbuilding in its traditional sense has no prospects.

In response, the head of the region noted that despite this general rhetoric, the city is currently fulfilling one shipbuilding contract.

At the same time, Vitalii Kim supported the head of the Danish Embassy's office and noted that Mykolaiv has the potential to resume shipbuilding, but in different formats and capacities. Part of the issue is focusing on production for the Ukrainian Navy.

«I won't say where, but one shipbuilding contract is currently being implemented in Mykolaiv. Unfortunately, we have lost a lot of people, specialists in the first place. The war increased this number by three. In my opinion, we will need it in a smaller scale. The doctrine has changed, now we don't need aircraft carriers in the Black Sea, we need drones, missile and air defence boats. Now there are tasks for Mykolaiv that scientists are working on. There is a potential for recovery, but not the 25-50 thousand tonnes we are used to. It will be done in a different way, primarily for the needs of Ukraine, with an eye to export in the future,» said Vitalii Kim.

The Mykolaiv delegation recently visited the Danish port of Odense. Photo: Mykolaiv Regional State Administration

He gave an example of the transformation of the shipbuilding industry in Denmark. During his working visit to the port of Odense, Vitalii Kim saw how the country abandoned traditional shipbuilding and reoriented itself.

«I was in a port in Denmark. The Danes completely stopped shipbuilding in 2014 due to non-competitiveness, because of high salaries... Although it is a maritime country. They converted their shipbuilding site into a hub where wind turbines are built and left a small part for shipbuilding and ship repair,» he added.

It should be noted that in 2023, Ambassador Ole Egberg Mikkelsen said in a commentary to NikVesti that the Kingdom of Denmark would help Mykolaiv restore and modernise its shipbuilding facilities after the end of a full-scale war.

He also said that Denmark would consider starting cooperation with Mykolaiv in shipbuilding as soon as the military situation in Ukraine allows it. Mykolaiv shipyards, in his opinion, could compete with the shipbuilding companies of Poland, Korea and China.