DATA ON SATELLITE SHIPYARDS AND MERCHANT FLEETS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000700160174-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 8, 2011
• Sequence Number: 174
• Publication Date: January 29, 1954
• Content Type: REPORT

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/09/08: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700160174-0
MAR ~19~2 Ol-~~
~*f"'"`~ CLASSIFICATION CONFIDENPL4L
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY REPORT
INFORMATION FROM
FOREIGN DOCUMENTS OR RADIO BROADCASTS CD N0.
COUNTRY GDR, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Rumania. USSR DATE OF
HOW DATE DfST. ~?/ Jan 1954
PUBLISHED Daily neiaspaper, weekly periodicals
WHERE
PUBLISHED parts, Hamburg N0. OF PAGES 4
DATE
PUBLISHED 8 Jan-2b Oct 1553
SUPPLEMENT TO
LANGUAGE French, German REPORT N0.
SUBJECT Construction -Shipbuilding
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ORBIT SIPPING TONNAGE -- Paris, Journal de la Marine Marchande, 22 Oct 53
In a lecture before the Hamburg section of the Gern.an Association for
Commerce with Eastern Europe, Dr Theel, Bremen ;nurititne expert, reported the
results of an inquiry on shipping and port activities in the Soviet Union
and its satellites.
According to Dr Theel, the Soviet merchan+:, fleet now comprises 2,200,000
gross tons. Although the fleet includes vessels which were given to the
Soviet Union under lend-lease agreements during the wa.r, its average age is
high, since more than half of the vessels are 30 years old or over. The total
sea transport capacity of the Coamunist bloc, however, is relatively small
even when the Polish fleet (about 200,OUG gross tons) and the Hungarian, Ru-
manian, Czech, and Chinese fleets are counted. The Soviet Union and China
intend to raise their merchant tonnage to 4 million gross tons each. The
USSR will attain this figure in 1y55 but China can accomplish this only in
10 or 15 years.
provided for in the last French-Soviet couunercial sgx?eement.
ORBIT SHIPPING POOL -- Paris, Journal de la Marine Marchande, 26 Mar 53
The construction capacity of Soviet shipyards is small, and the USSR is
now seeking to place shipbuilding orders in Western countries. An order for
i0 million pounds sterling's worth of vessels and marine engines has been
placed in Great Britain through a private commercial mission, and has been
submitted to the Board of Trade for authorization. Export of ships was also
mania, 10 percent; the GDR, 10 percent; Bulgaria, 5 oercent; China, 5 percent;
Albania, 2 percent; and Czechoslovakia, ]. percent.
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RIVBft STEAMERS AND DREDGES FOR THE USSR CONSTRUCTID IN CZECH SHIPYARDS --
Paris, Journal de la Marine Marchande, 27 Aug 53
Czechoslovakia has received important orders from Moscow for a series
oP river boats. They will be constructed in the shipyards at Komarno on
the Danube, where facilities have been enlarged, and at the new Vltava
~ive~ yards near Prague. The Komarno Shipy;~rds have already turned over
to Soviet crews six modern passenger steamers for Soviet inland waterways.
Th. steamers :ailed down the Danube to the Blac:_ Sea, where their final
trials cook place. The Vltava yards are building suction dredges, under So-
viet supervision, for the upkeep of navigation channels in Soviet rivers.
The first of these dredges was tested last May. The hull of this dredge is
entirely welded. It can dredge 250 cubic meters of mud and gravel per hour,
but has no means of propulsion and has to be towed to the work site. Other
dredges of the same type are under construction.
SOVIET EXPLOITATION OF SHIPBUILDING IN THE GDR -- Paris, Journal de la Marine
Marchande, 23 Jul 53
According to Wirtschafts Korresnondenz Economic Correspondent, West
German publication, 70 percent of all ship construction in the ?R is in-
tended for the USSR as reparations, 25 percent is intended for the naval
forces of the GDR People's Police, and the remaining 5 percent is re..~rved
for export. So far, there are no ships under construction in the GDR which
are Intended for the East- German merchant marine. The GDR government hsa
ordered 38 patrol boats to be built in 1953 for the People's Police. These
boats will be built for the most part in the Peens Shipyard at Wol.gast.
SHIPBUILDING AT THE W4RNOW, MATHIAS-THESEN, NEPTUN AND OTHER GDR SHIPYARDS __
Paris, Journal de la Marine Marchande, 25 Jun 53
At present, GDR shipyards employ about 52,000 workers, oi' whom 28,000
are in the Mathias-Thesen Shipyard at Wismar, the Warnow Shipyard at Warne-
muende, and the Neptun Shipyard at Rostock. The Mathias-Thesen Shipyard will
receive 25 million Deutsche marks (Eastb the Warnow Shipyard 24,500,000 Deut-
sche marks (East), and the Neptun Shipyard 9 million Deutsche marks (East) in
investment credits Lome of grants now mentioned for furthering their produc-
tion. The five less important shipyards in the GDR will be able to count on
only relatively modest help from the state.
The Warnow Shipyard, which will soon be the ]argent in Europe, will in-
clude seven large yards, big warehouses for the storage of materiel, a nex
building berth, and a quay for repairs, approximately 450 meters long, as well
as a Pitting-out quay 130 meters in length. Two 9,000-ton freighters, the
first of a series to be built, will soon be completed at the Warnow Shipyard.
At the Neptun Shipyard. a fourth cargo ship of 3,000 tone was recently
launched. It is expected that before the end of the year three other ships
of the same type will be launched.
Journal de la Marine Marchande, 23 Jul 53
A floating dock of 2,500 gross tons is being constructed at the Warnow
Shipyard. In addition, seven vessels are now on the ways, intended for pas-
senger transport ,n the Volga. Also, important repair work la under way on
four Soviet steamers of 2,000 to 7,000 gross tons.
The Mathias-Thesen Shipyard is building seven steamers (intended for re-
parations), which will be completed in 1954. Each steamer, of 3,000 gross
tone, is 100 meters long.
50X1-HUM
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 Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/09/08: CIA-RDP80-00809A000700160174-0
Nine ?reighters and four salvage ships are on the building slips at
the Neptun Shipyard. This ahipyax?d, which employs y,000 workers, is also
performing important repair xork for the Soviet fleet, especially on mine lay-
ers and mine sweepers.
In addition, 27 armored coast guard cutters of 200-400 gross tons are
under construction in the Peene Shipyard at Wolgast and in the People's Ship-
yard at Stralsund. The People's Shipyard is also building 40 loggers, :chile
the F,lbe Shipyard at Boitzenburg is constructing 26 refrigerator ships for
transporting "ish. A grave shortage oY raw materials, however, has sloxed
down conatx?uction in these yards during the last 2 months.
RamburB, Ramburger .~c~endbiatt, 28 Oct ;3
The People's Shipyard et Stralsund is engaged in the construction of Tug-
gers and trawlers for the Sov?et Union.
st~ckA 1Constructiorl~?ra s^-o~e~ojsmotorrfreighters ofeaboutShipyard n.t Ro-
istered tons is pian3,ed. i;ve ships for the Soviet Union and,3mo0re recently8
two ships for the GDR Leutsche Seerr~derei (German Ocean Shipping Linea have
beep launched; tl,e latter ships are xned Rostock and Wismar. Sectional con-
struction is used to a lax?ge extent so that ships can be launched after 94
days. It is reported that the time spent un the slipway iu constructing the
Wismar was only 6G days; the ship was launched on 28 August. Outfitting,
however, is being hampered by shortsges of material, so the final completion
theeMediterraneanservicc2destablishingc ommunicationmwithrtheoSovieteBlack
Sea ports. Each is 102 meters long and 14 meters wide, has a draft of 6.2
meters, and is equipped with n piston engine Lnot further specified, probably
steam engine which gives it a top spec% of 15 knots.
The Mathias-Thesen Shipyar3 l:as recently complec~d a new ship assembly
slip which is 150 meters long and 100 meters wide. roar new berths and one
slip are under construction. A cable crane installation is also being built.
The new administration building houses a large lofting shop. The hlathias-
Thesen Shipyard is rroducing a series o? rive: ships for the Soviet Union;
thesR ships are to be used on the Volg; ~;id Lon Rivers. T1'ie first of this
type, the Chkalov, was launched on 18 July. Each ehip of this type is ;E
meters long and 11 meters wide, and has a 2.9-meter drai't. It carries a
crew of 70, and 520 passengers in cabins with 1, 2, and 4 beds. It is air-
conditioned, and is powered with tixree Duckau-Wolf diesels, each developing
400 horsepower; tt has a top speed of 24 kilometers per lour. Similar ships,
but of differei:t dimensions, are being built at the Rothensee and Warnemuende
shipyards. On 13 October, the Mathias-Thesen Shipyard launched a crane pon-
toon. The 15-ton pontoon will be i'itted with a crane of 15 tons capacity and
will be equipped with twc Buckau-Wolf self-propelled diesels.
The Warnow Shipynrl will complete its construction program within the
near future and will then start construction of a number of ships all of the
same type. The shipyard has ail assembly shop with an area of 200 by 100 me-
ters. The administration buildir,~; also houses the loi'ting shop and the d=-
signiag offices. A cable crane installation, 02 meters high and ;~;) -peters
long, is near completion. A dx?ydocl: is planned. The Warnow Shipyard ;:rs
repaired the former Genean HdF La Nazi recreation and welfare organization]
ship Der Deutsche, and has turned it over to tiie Soviets as a reparatiore
shipment under the new name, Sovetskiy Soyuz. At present, three more large
former German passenger ships are tied up at Warnotia. They are being com-
pletely renovated for the Soviets.
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SHIPBUILDING LY POLAND __ parts, Journal de la Marine Marchande, fi Jan 53
The first ocean-going ship from the reconstructed shipyards at Szczecin
was launched oa 16 December 1952. The shipbuilding slip has been enlarged
and fitted out with modern equipment.
DVPCH FREIGHTER LOADS CARGO AT DANZIG -- Hamburg, Hamburger Abendblatt,
23 Oct 53
The Dutch freighter Parkhaven, a 4,917-ton vessel which was purchased
by the Luebeck shipping firm of Egon Oldendorff some time ago, has been re-
named Christoffer Oldendorff. Its first trip for its new owner will be to
Gdansk, where it wi].1 load cargo for Greece and Turkey.
DREDGING PLAN TO LINK BUCHAREST TO THE SEA -- Paris, Journal de la Marine
Marchande, 6 Aug 53
Rumanian authorities have drawn up a plan to link Bucharest to the sea.
Dredging operations are to be undertaken on the Danube to make the ri~-:r
navigable for ocean-going vessels.
50X1-HUM
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