Manufacturer catalog

Zaliv Shipyard

Zaliv Shipyard is a large shipbuilding and ship-repair yard in Kerch, Crimea, founded in 1938 on the Kerch Strait between the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov. Its defense relevance comes from Soviet and Russian naval construction at the Kerch yard, including Project 1204 Shmel armored patrol boats, Project 1135-family frigates, and later Project 22160 patrol ships completed or launched from Zaliv facilities.

3 weapons

The yard's production history spans merchant vessels, tankers, offshore structures, ship repair, and naval hull work. GlobalSecurity describes Zaliv as a leading Eastern European shipbuilding enterprise and records its Soviet-era role in Krivak-class frigate construction, while Zaliv-linked history material states that the yard built hundreds of navy and merchant vessels after World War II and developed a large graving-dock complex for heavy ship construction.

Zaliv's location in Kerch makes its corporate and public-source record politically sensitive after Russia's 2014 occupation and annexation of Crimea. The manufacturer context is limited to shipyard history, facilities, and naval production; conflict-specific use, losses, or strikes are documented with the affected systems rather than stated as manufacturer activity.

Naval ship constructionShip repair and modernizationLarge commercial vessel and tanker constructionOffshore and auxiliary vessel fabrication

Notable Systems

Project 1204 Shmel / Shmel-class patrol boat, Armored patrol boat / river gunboat, Naval Systems

Project 1204 Shmel / Shmel-class patrol boat

Armored patrol boat / river gunboat

RussianShips.info lists 118 Project 1204 boats completed, including 98 units at Zaliv Shipyard in Kerch, making the Shmel armored patrol boat the clearest high-volume catalog connection for Zaliv.

Sources: RussianShips.info: Project 1204 Shmel
Project 1135 Burevestnik / Krivak-class frigate and derivatives, Anti-submarine frigate family, Naval Systems

Project 1135 Burevestnik / Krivak-class frigate and derivatives

Anti-submarine frigate family

RussianShips.info lists seven Project 1135 frigates from Zaliv Shipyard, while GlobalSecurity describes the Kerch yard's Soviet-era Krivak-class construction role.

Sources: RussianShips.info: Project 1135, GlobalSecurity: Zaliv Shipbuilding plant
Project 22160 patrol ship, Large patrol ship, Naval Systems

Project 22160 patrol ship

Large patrol ship

RussianShips.info identifies Pavel Derzhavin and Sergey Kotov as completed by Zaliv Shipyard in Kerch; Naval News reported the January 2021 launch of Sergey Kotov at Zaliv.

Sources: RussianShips.info: Project 22160, Naval News: Sergey Kotov launch

Manufacturer History

  1. Kerch yard founded

    Zaliv's official history and GlobalSecurity both trace the shipyard's founding to 1938 on the Kerch Strait.

    Sources: Zaliv official history, GlobalSecurity: Zaliv Shipbuilding plant

  2. Project 1204 production begins at Zaliv

    RussianShips.info lists the first Zaliv-built Project 1204 Shmel boats laid down in July 1967 and records 98 units from the Kerch yard.

    Sources: RussianShips.info: Project 1204 Shmel

  3. Project 1135 Kerch frigate line starts

    RussianShips.info lists Zaliv Shipyard's first Project 1135 hull, Dostoyny, as laid down in August 1969, followed by additional Kerch-built frigates through the early 1980s.

    Sources: RussianShips.info: Project 1135

  4. Sevmorput delivered

    GlobalSecurity's Zaliv profile describes the 1988 delivery of Sevmorput, a nuclear-powered icebreaking LASH vessel, as part of the yard's heavy shipbuilding history.

    Sources: GlobalSecurity: Zaliv Shipbuilding plant

  5. Sergey Kotov launched

    Naval News reported that the Kerch-based Zaliv Shipyard launched the Project 22160 patrol ship Sergey Kotov on 29 January 2021.

    Sources: Naval News: Sergey Kotov launch

Website links
Official siteOfficial historyGlobalSecurity industry profileOpenSanctions entity record

Public English-language sourcing mixes Ukrainian, Russian, and sanctions-list terminology for the Kerch yard, and the current operating structure is shaped by Russia's post-2014 control of Crimea. Headquarters coordinates are omitted because the available sources support the Kerch location and address context but no independently verified map center. No reusable Zaliv-specific image is included because official or rights-clear image provenance was not verified.

Manufacturer Sources

  • Zaliv official historyPublisher: Zaliv Shipyard | Note: Supports the official founding date, Kerch Strait location, and broad shipbuilding-history context. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Zaliv official who-we-are pagePublisher: Zaliv Shipyard | Note: Supports the official website, dry-dock identity, and large-vessel construction positioning. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • GlobalSecurity: Zaliv Shipbuilding plantPublisher: GlobalSecurity.org | Note: Supports Kerch address context, shipyard history, graving-dock dimensions, Soviet Krivak construction background, commercial-vessel work, and post-2014 control reporting. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • RussianShips.info: Project 1135Publisher: RussianShips.info | Note: Supports Project 1135 ship-list entries and the listing of seven units from Zaliv Shipyard, Kerch. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • RussianShips.info: Project 1204 ShmelPublisher: RussianShips.info | Note: Supports the Project 1204 Shmel completed count and the listing of 98 units from Zaliv Shipyard, Kerch. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • RussianShips.info: Project 22160Publisher: RussianShips.info | Note: Supports Project 22160 ship-list context, Black Sea Fleet entries, and the listing of Pavel Derzhavin and Sergey Kotov as completed by Zaliv Shipyard, Kerch. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Naval News: Sergey Kotov launchPublisher: Naval News | Note: Supports the January 2021 launch of the Project 22160 patrol ship Sergey Kotov at the Kerch-based Zaliv Shipyard. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • OpenSanctions: JSC Zaliv ShipyardPublisher: OpenSanctions | Note: Supports sanctions-listing context, JSC Zaliv Shipyard naming, and Kerch address information aggregated from official sanctions and registry sources. | Accessed: 2026-07-11

Produced weapons

Category

Naval Systems

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

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Project 1135 Burevestnik / Krivak-class frigate and derivatives, Anti-submarine frigate family, Naval Systems2014 Russia-Ukraine WarProject 1135 Burevestnik / Krivak-class frigate and derivativesAnti-submarine frigate familyBuilt in: Soviet Union / Russia / IndiaProject 1135 Burevestnik, known to NATO as the Krivak class, is a Soviet anti-submarine frigate family developed by the Northern Design Bureau as a smaller ocean-going successor to the Riga class. The family combined gas-turbine propulsion, URK-5/Rastrub anti-submarine missiles, Osa-M/Osa-MA point defense, guns, torpedoes, and RBU launchers, then branched into border-guard, Indian export, and Russian guided-missile derivatives. Its 2014 Russia-Ukraine War record centers on Ukraine's Krivak III-derived Hetman Sahaidachny, which was scuttled at Mykolaiv in 2022 to avoid capture.
Project 1204 Shmel / Shmel-class patrol boat, Armored patrol boat / river gunboat, Naval Systems2014 Russia-Ukraine WarProject 1204 Shmel / Shmel-class patrol boatArmored patrol boat / river gunboatBuilt in: Soviet UnionThe Project 1204 Shmel class is a Soviet armored river gunboat family designed by Almaz Central Marine Design Bureau for shallow rivers, lakes, and coastal waters. It put a PT-76-derived 76 mm turret, a BM-14-17 rocket launcher, automatic cannon, machine guns, and mine rails on a compact shallow-draft hull, making it a fire-support and patrol craft rather than an oceangoing combatant. Russian Shmel boats were documented in the Kerch and Sea of Azov security context during the Russo-Ukrainian War, while Ukrainian Sea Guard Dzhmil examples survived in Danube-area service and training.