During his visit to the headquarters, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said that a total of 92 billion roubles would be allocated through a federal targeted programme for the construction of the naval base until 2020. The Prime Minister added that 13.5 billion roubles have already been allotted.
Head of the Federal Agency for Special Construction Nikolai Abroskin said that construction on the naval base began in 2005 and will be carried out in three stages. The first stage will be completed this year, and the second and third stages will end in 2016 and 2020, respectively. Mr Abroskin reported that three docking terminals and two sections of the 20-acre coastal fortification have been built so far, and that sea defences are currently under construction. He added that the deep-water construction would be completed by 2011 and emphasised that construction workers were using unique technology to increase the hydraulic resistance of various structures.
"So it won't be like in Sochi, where a port was washed away in a storm?" asked Prime Minister Putin. "No, impossible. We survived a 6.5 storm - no pile even moved," replied Mr Abroskin.