Vladimir Putin's opening remarks:

Good afternoon, colleagues.

At this meeting, we will discuss shipyard cluster and Murmansk shipyards. There are a total of four major shipyards under the Defence Ministry. In addition, Murmansk has a shipyard under the Industry and Trade Ministry.

The Defence Ministry has transferred two companies to the United Shipbuilding Corporation (OSK) - Nerpa and the 35th Shipyard. This third shipyard, which used to be under the Industry and Trade Ministry, is now run by the OSK.

What is going on at the companies that have been transferred to the OSK? The situation there is satisfactory on the whole. Nerpa, which employs 1,925 personnel, even made a profit last year, despite the crisis. Its profit was 1.4 billion roubles.

This year, there is already a 1.25 million rouble order. The 35th Shipyard is also running at a profit. Its revenue in 2009 was 704 million roubles. The situation there is probably also anything but simple, but it is stable.

Neither of the companies has any wage arrears. What is the situation at the Defence Ministry's plants, which have not yet been transferred to the OSK?

The 82nd and 10th shipyards have no orders thus far and have not signed any contracts. Both have growing wage arrears.

Arrears total 130 million roubles at the 82nd Shipyard and 18 million roubles at the 10th.

The first thing we must do without delay is settle the wage arrears. Second, the contracts need to be signed and an order needs to be placed. In any case, an order that the Defence Ministry is capable of filling right now. The deadline for this is one week.

Third, we need to complete the planned transfer of these companies to the United Shipbuilding Corporation - both the 82nd company and the 10th. The final deadline is June 15. No later than that.

Finally, before these companies are transferred, both the United Shipbuilding Corporation and the Defence Ministry need to agree on and jointly approve a plan for harmonisation and restructuring of production.

Today, for example, the 82nd Shipyard employs a staff of 678 personnel and has 145 professional trades. The 10th Shipyard has a staff of 532, with 105 trades.

You know, as they say, "One with a plough, seven with a spoon." In this case, there are not seven but five with a spoon; still, this is no good at all. I can imagine that the share of scientific and technical personnel and even administrative personnel at high-tech companies can be very numerous. That is necessary. But when we talk of these shipyards, let us admit openly and honestly that they are still far from being high-tech. More than that, the 82nd Shipyard recently got a dock - a good one, which it needed for ship repairs and which the Defence Ministry needs. It came without even any crane equipment. We will need to resolve this separately: who was paid for what, and why we were left with such a result.

I mentioned the need to restructure the companies, and I think that it is obvious to everyone here that this is the correct and inevitable solution.

In addition, I want to draw your attention to an issue that concerns both the United Shipbuilding Corporation and the Defence Ministry, as well as the local regional authorities and governors. Given all of these processes, we need to be most attentive to people, to the companies' personnel. The sector must not lose highly qualified professionals, of whom there are quite a few at these companies.

Let's get down to work.