The history of the Shipyard is inextricably linked with the construction of the Sea Canal and the St. Petersburg harbor.
The construction of the Sea Canal lasted from 1874 to 1885.
A private Metal Workshop was established in 1879 to maintain and repair of the dredging fleet used on the construction of the Sea canal. With the increase of the fleet to 32 units, there was a need not only to make minor metalwork repairs, but also to manufacture new ship parts to replace worn-out parts.
In 1883 by that time the State Repair Shops for the dredging fleet on the Kanonersky Island were transformed into the Kanonersky Shiprepair Shops – in future the Shipyard.
In 1909-1914 instead of small workshops and barracks began intensive building of large shops: metalwork, hull-boiler, blacksmith.
Floating dock of capacity 1400 t was obtained from Finland in 1910.
In 1916-1923 navigation has been restoring on the Sea Canal. From the first days of the Soviet regime the Kanonersky Shiprepair Shops become the main shiprepair base of the Baltic Shipping Company.
1922-1925 - the time of considerable growth of the Shiprepair Shop's capacities due to increased the number of ships in port. A powerful icebreaker fleet appeared and required constant maintenance. The volume of ship repair has much increased.
From 1924 to 1927 the metalwork, cast-iron, hull and other shops were built using stones.
By 1928 there were already more than 180 units of technological equipment installed in the hull, mechanical, forging and woodworking shops. Since that time major repairs of sea-going vessels began and the Shiprepair Shops were renamed to the Kanonersky Shiprepairing Yard of the Baltic Shipping Company. In the same year the Shipyard was commissioned to complete construction of the icebreaker "Toros" for the Black Sea Shipping Company whose hull was build at the Revel Yard of the company "Becker". By completion of construction the icebreaker went on his own to the Black Sea where carried out winter navigation of ships caravans to Nikolaev and Kherson for many years.
In 1924 the repair of the "Krasin" icebreaker began which in 1926 wright from the shipbuilding yard went to save the expedition of Umberto Nobile.
In 1929 the positions of the Director and Chief Engineer of the Shipyard were established.
In 1931 the plant received a two-section reinforced concrete dock built at the Admiral Shipyard with a loading capacity of 4000 t. The dock gave possibility to the Shipyard team successfully fulfill the government's order by renovation of the "Kaspiysk" vessel with the installation of two MAN engines.
In 1932 the ocean vessel "Aleut" was renovated into the first whaling base in the country with a slip of 17 meters in length and a factory for handling whale products. At the same time the plant's staff began to make major repairs on the vessels of the arctic icebreaker fleet, such as "Krasin", "Ermak", "Lenin", "October", "Silach", "Purga" and others.
In 1933 the All-Union Competition of Shipyards was held. Under his conditions, the winner in the socialist competition was awarded the Red Banner and the right to call the ship of foreign navigation by name of the best worker of the shipyard. The first place in the competition from 43 competitors was taken by the Kanonersky Shiprepairing Yard. According to the staff point of view the best worker was blacksmith R.Y. Lesov. Ship built in Leningrad was named by "Kuznets Lesov". For the first time in the world practice a new ship was given the name of a worker.
In 1936-1938, the Stakhanov movement developed at the plant, as well as throughout the country. Its initiators were the Communists: locksmith V.S. Kotov, smith R.Ya. Woods, ship collectors Gusev, N.I. Maksimov and others. In 1937, R.Ya. Lesov was awarded the title "Hero of Socialist Labor". The names of the advanced workers and engineers of the Kanonersky Shipyard were awarded to the vessels of the Baltic Shipping Company: motor ships Stakhanovets Kotov and Engineer Bashkirov, tug Brigadir Gusev, ferry-icebreaker Vladimir Kotov.
During 1936-1938 the Stakhanov movement developed at the Shipyard as well as throughout the country. Its initiators were the communists: locksmith V.S. Kotov, blacksmith R.Y. Lesov, shipwrights N.V. Gusev, N.I. Maksimov and others. In 1937 R.Y. Lesov was awarded the title "Hero of Socialist Labor". The names of the advanced workers and engineers of the Kanonersky Shiprepairing Yard were assigned to vessels of the Baltic Shipping Company: ships "Stakhanovets Kotov" and "Engineer Bashkirov", tug "Brigadir Gusev", ferry-icebreaker "Vladimir Kotov".
In 1936-1940 by the decision of the government funds were allocated for the development of the Shipyard and communal structure on the Kanonersky Island. New shops, apartments, club-hall, office building No. 2, design office, etc. have been built.
In 1939 dock with lifting capacity of 6,000 tons was obtained.
During the Great Patriotic War the collective of the Shipyard produced high explosive and aviation bombs, shells, gas generators. Barges were built for the Ladoga flotilla. Emergency repairs of military boats and ships were made. During the war 390 factory workers were killed at the front, died of starvation, bombing and shelling.
In May 1942 Kanonersky Shiprepairing Yard was included in the number of the most important enterprises of the city and was entrusted to repair the fleet, as it was the only ship repair yard in the Baltic sea, which had the opportunity to dry dock vessels for the repair of the underwater hull.
In 1943 the plant completely switched to the production of ammunition and also mastered the manufacture of nozzles for the famous "Katyusha". During the war new techniques and ship repair technology were used which developed by the chief engineer G.G. Bashkirov, whose the largest transport vessel of the Baltic Shipping Company was named.
On February 5 1946 the Shipyard was awarded the Red Banner of the State Defense Committee for fulfilling orders for the front.
As a token of eternal memory to those who died the death of the brave in the years of the Great Patriotic War a monument-obelisk was erected on the Kanonersky Island.
After the war the Sea Canal was rebuilt and reconstructed, expanded, deepened, equipped with modern equipment in 1960-1980.
In 1945 for the first time a unique technical task was performed - the splicing of two parts of the Chelyuskinets steamer hull. The hull was extended by 16 meters. Capital repairs of ships "Professor Popov", "Kharkov", "Petrovsky", "Borodino", "Ob" was completed.
Since the beginning of the 1960s the Kanonersky Shiprepairing Yard has been performing refitting and subsequently scheduled maintenance of almost all scientific research vessels of the Russian Space Agency providing launch and support of satellites - from the very first to the modern ones: m/v "Cosmonavt Viktor Patsaev", "Cosmonavt Georgy Dobrovolsky" and others.
In 1967 the treaty of patronage over the legendary cruiser "Aurora" was concluded. The Shipyard take an active partisipation in the repair of the ship.
In 1972-1973 new modern workshops were built: hull and wiring.
Large volumes of shipbuilding carried out in 1970-1982 along with ship repair works: ferries, refers, tugs, tugs are leaving the factory slipways.
In 1983 to commemorate the 100th anniversary the plant was awarded by the Order of the Red Banner of Labor.
In the same year a motorway tunnel was opened under the Sea Canal. Tunnel linked the island to the city bypassing the port. Now the workers of the Shipyard and the housing estate began to drive up to the island by city transport.
In 1994 construction of a deep-water berth No. 17 (depth – 10,5 m, length - 203 m) was completed.
In the conditions of severe competition in 1998 the Shipyard won an international tender and became a participant in the international project "Sea Launch" along with RSC "Energia", "Boeing", "Kvaerner", GKB "Yuzhnoye", "Yuzhmash". Under this project the Kanonersky Shiprepairing Yard performed with high quality and on time installation of additional equipment on command vessel "Sea Launch Commander" and installed the missile segment equipment. The successful launch of the first missile from the Sea Launch complex in March 1999 confirmed the high level of the work carried out.
Since 1999 the Shipyard carried out large amount of work to repair and renovate icebreaking fleet of the Port St. Petersburg Maritime Administration (currently the FSUE "Rosmorport", St. Petersburg branch). These are the icebreakers "Captain Sorokin", "Semyon Dezhnev", "Ermak", "Ivan Krusenstern", "Captain Zarubin", etc.
If earlier scheduled maintenance of powerful icebreakers of Port Maritime Administration was carried out in Germany then in 1999 for the first time such repairs were carried out at the Kanonersky Shipreparing Yard. On icebreakers "Semen Dezhnev", "Ermak" the Shipyard carried out a general modernization - replacement of main and auxiliary engines. Instead of obsolete domestic ME Wartsila NCD were installed.
JSC "KSZ" carried out repairs of the world famous SOS "Sedov" and UPS "Mir". The Shipyard regularly works on repair of such vessels as: R/V "Akademik Fedorov", r/v "Academician Alexander Karpinsky", r/v "Professor Logachev", etc.
Modernity
The Kanonersky Shiprepairing Yard has grown from dredging fleet repair shops to the large yard in addition to other reasons due to advantageous geographical position. JSC "Kanonersky Shiprepairing Yard" is located on the Kanonersky Island along the Sea Canal of the port of St. Petersburg. The immediate proximity of the port allows shipowners to use the capacities of the Shipyard which has 3 modern floating docks and equipped berths for all types of scheduled and unplanned repairs.
Given the growing market demand for repair services it could be especially attractive to shipowners and fleet technical management companies to transfer of repair of ships operating on the lines of the ports of the Gulf of Finland and the Big Port of St. Petersburg to JSC "Kanonersky Shiprepairing Yard". The Kanonersky Shiprepairing Yard is advanced technologies, modern equipment, qualified personnel, performance of works on time, quality of work that meets modern international standards.
The Shipyard has three floating docks with the lifting capacities of 4000 tons, 8500 tons and 35600 tons.
Berths with a total length of 1350 m are capable of accommodate ships with drafts up to 9,8 m. If necessary small repairs of vessel can be carried out at the cargo berth wright in the port.
For the formation of hull structures and elements presses up to 800 tons is used. Mechanical workshop is equipped with turning machine for shafts reconditioning with length up to 11 meters. The Shipyard makes replacement and repair of pipelines, valves, ship cable lines, electrical equipment and navigation aids. The electric shop has all necessary to perform the whole complex of electrical equipment of ships repair including repair of large electric motors and generators with a power of up to 1500 kW.
A wide range of machines gives possibility to perform locksmith and other machine work at repair of ship mechanisms including repair of main engines. Propellers static balancing and turbochargers rotors dynamic balancing are carried out on certified balancing machines.
The qualification of personnel and the advanced technologies used ensure the high quality of the entire ship repair works - from the cleaning and painting of hulls to the repair of power plants and restoration of cabins interior. To develop technological documentation and drawings the latest software and hardware are used. Cutting of metal is carried out by a plasma plant with program control.
