United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC), the largest shipbuilding company in Russia, and Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK), one of the world's largest steel producers and one of the leaders in Russia's steel industry, have signed a strategic cooperation memorandum targeting joint scientific and technical projects to develop existing and new types of products for shipbuilding, as well as focusing on optimization of the logistics chains of metal product deliveries from MMK to USC production sites.
MMK stated that the strategic cooperation between Russian shipbuilders and MMK will help to develop sound competition among domestic producers of shipbuilding steel, which is especially important given the steady growth of shipbuilding orders in Russia.
MMK CEO Boris Dubrovsky commented, "MMK's mill 5000 is one of the most advanced production facilities for heavy-gauge plate steel, and we intend to continuously grow our presence across the shipbuilding market. This possibility is closer to becoming a reality today, and we are happy with the agreements we have reached with USC. MMK has the capacity to fully meet the requirements of Russia's shipbuilding sector, which will soon become a major driver of domestic economic growth."
Following the launch of mill 5000 in 2009, steel plate produced by the mill was certified by the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping, the Russian River Register, as well as Norway's Det Norske Veritas and Germany's Germanischer Lloyd.