Manufacturer catalog

Black Sea Shipyard

Black Sea Shipyard was a major Mykolaiv shipyard whose Soviet-era output included the Project 1123 helicopter carriers, Project 1143 Kiev-class aviation cruisers, Project 1143.5 Kuznetsov-class heavy aircraft-carrying cruisers, and the unfinished Project 1143.7 Ulyanovsk nuclear carrier. Founded in the late Russian Empire and later known under several Soviet yard numbers and Chernomorsky names, it became central to large Black Sea naval construction before entering bankruptcy and liquidation in Ukraine.

2 weapons

The yard occupied a large industrial site in Mykolaiv, Ukraine, and GlobalSecurity describes it as one of Europe's largest shipyards, with a record spanning cruisers, destroyers, submarines, icebreakers, tankers, cargo ships, trawlers, research vessels, and aircraft carriers. Its public manufacturer context is especially important for Soviet naval systems because the same facility appears in sources under Black Sea Shipyard, Chernomorsky Plant, Nikolayev South, Shipyard No. 444, and older Andre Marti / Nosenko names.

The shipyard's best-known defense role was large aviation-ship construction for the Soviet Navy. GlobalSecurity identifies the Kiev-class Project 1143 ships as Chernomorsky Plant products and lists Moskva, Leningrad, Kiev, Minsk, Novorossiysk, Baku, Admiral Kuznetsov, and other major vessels among the yard's prominent output. Naval Technology separately places Kuznetsov-class construction at Nikolayev South Shipyard on the Black Sea.

After Ukrainian independence the enterprise struggled with ownership changes, weak order books, and long-running insolvency. Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne reported that the Mykolaiv commercial court ordered liquidation of Public Joint Stock Company Black Sea Shipyard on 25 June 2021; OpenDataBot lists the legal entity's current status as terminated while recording its shipbuilding address and related activities.

naval shipbuildingaircraft-carrying cruiserssurface combatantslarge commercial and auxiliary vesselsship repair and marine engineering

Notable Systems

Kiev-class aircraft carrier, Heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser / VTOL aircraft carrier, Naval Systems

Kiev-class aircraft carrier

Heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser / VTOL aircraft carrier

Project 1143 was the yard's first fixed-wing aviation-cruiser class, combining Yak-38 VTOL aircraft, helicopters, and cruiser-style missile armament.

Sources: Project 1143 Krechyet, Chernomorsky Plant
Kuznetsov-class aircraft carrier, Heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser / STOBAR aircraft carrier, Naval Systems

Kuznetsov-class aircraft carrier

Heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser / STOBAR aircraft carrier

The larger Project 1143.5 / 11435 carrier-cruiser line included Admiral Kuznetsov and the unfinished Varyag hull, both associated in sources with Nikolayev South / Chernomorsky construction.

Sources: Kuznetsov Class (Type 1143.5) Aircraft Carrier, Chernomorsky Plant

Manufacturer History

  1. Imperial-era yard established

    GlobalSecurity describes the yard as built from 1895 to 1899 as the Nikolaeyev Shipbuilding, Mechanical, and Iron Works under Belgian ownership.

    Sources: Chernomorsky Plant

  2. Warship construction begins

    GlobalSecurity reports that the Nikolaev Shipbuilding Company yard began building ships for the Russian Navy in 1901.

    Sources: Chernomorsky Plant

  3. Kiev-class aviation cruisers built

    GlobalSecurity identifies Project 1143 Kiev-class ships as Chernomorsky Plant products, while the connected Kiev-class record documents the lead ship through the revised Baku / Admiral Gorshkov hull.

    Sources: Project 1143 Krechyet, Chernomorsky Plant

  4. Admiral Kuznetsov launched

    Naval Technology reports that Admiral Kuznetsov was launched in 1985 after construction at Nikolayev South Shipyard.

    Sources: Kuznetsov Class (Type 1143.5) Aircraft Carrier

  5. Bankruptcy ruling reported

    Ukraine's judiciary reported that the Mykolaiv commercial court recognized Public Joint Stock Company Black Sea Shipyard as bankrupt in July 2018.

    Sources: Commercial Court Recognizes Black Sea Shipyard Bankrupt

  6. Liquidation ordered

    Suspilne reported that the Mykolaiv commercial court approved the liquidator's report and ordered liquidation of Public Joint Stock Company Black Sea Shipyard.

    Sources: Mykolaiv Court Recognized Black Sea Shipyard Bankrupt

Predecessors
Association of Shipyards and Foundry WorksNikolaeyev Shipbuilding, Mechanical, and Iron WorksAndre Marti South YardShipyard No. 444 / I.I. Nosenko Shipyard
Website links
Smart Maritime GroupOpenDataBot company recordGlobalSecurity Chernomorsky Plant profile

The operating company no longer functions as a normal commercial shipyard. Sources use several Russian, Ukrainian, and Soviet-era names for the same Mykolaiv facility; this profile keeps those labels together when they point to the Black Sea / Chernomorsky / Nikolayev South yard rather than the separate 61 Communards / Mykolaiv North shipyard.

Manufacturer Sources

  • Chernomorsky PlantPublisher: GlobalSecurity.org | Note: Supports the Black Sea / Chernomorsky / Nikolayev South naming, Mykolaiv location, founding chronology, industrial scope, and major vessels produced by the yard. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Project 1143 KrechyetPublisher: GlobalSecurity.org | Note: Supports Project 1143 Kiev-class construction at the Chernomorsky Plant and the carrier-cruiser role of those ships. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Kuznetsov Class (Type 1143.5) Aircraft CarrierPublisher: Naval Technology | Note: Supports Kuznetsov-class construction at Nikolayev South Shipyard, launch chronology, and class-level carrier-cruiser background. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Commercial Court Recognizes Black Sea Shipyard BankruptPublisher: Judicial Power of Ukraine | Note: Supports the July 2018 Mykolaiv commercial-court bankruptcy ruling for Public Joint Stock Company Black Sea Shipyard. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Mykolaiv Court Recognized Black Sea Shipyard BankruptPublisher: Suspilne Mykolaiv | Note: Supports the 25 June 2021 liquidation order, the court case context, and reporting that the yard built Soviet aircraft-carrying cruisers. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Black Sea Shipyard Company RecordPublisher: OpenDataBot | Note: Supports the public legal name, Mykolaiv address, shipbuilding activity classification, bankruptcy procedure, ownership notes, and terminated status of the Ukrainian legal entity. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Russian aircraft carrier Kuznetsov.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance and public-domain licensing for the Admiral Kuznetsov image used on the manufacturer page. | Accessed: 2026-07-11

Produced weapons

Category

Naval Systems

Warships, submarines, unmanned surface vessels, naval craft, and maritime combat systems.

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Kiev-class aircraft carrier, Heavy aircraft-carrying cruiser / VTOL aircraft carrier, Naval SystemsKiev-class aircraft carrierHeavy aircraft-carrying cruiser / VTOL aircraft carrierBuilt in: Soviet UnionThe Kiev class, Soviet Project 1143 Krechyet, was a family of heavy aircraft-carrying cruisers built at the Black Sea Shipyard in Mykolaiv for Soviet naval aviation. The ships combined Yak-38 VTOL aircraft and Kamov helicopters with cruiser-style P-500 Bazalt anti-ship missiles, air-defense weapons, and anti-submarine systems; the revised fourth hull, Baku / Admiral Gorshkov, later became India's INS Vikramaditya after a major STOBAR carrier conversion.