"Sevmash" is an abbreviation of Severnoye Mashinostroitelnoye Predpriyatie (Северное Машиностроительное Предприятие), i.e. "Northern Machine-Building Enterprise".

Sevmash is the largest shipbuilding enterprise in Russia and today the country's only nuclear submarine producer.

[8] The project had been hit by delays and increasing costs,[citation needed] and was finally completed in November 2013.

[citation needed] The enterprise is also engaged in commercial shipbuilding, and has during the last decade built over 100 vessels, including sea and harbor tugs, mini-bulkers, pontoons, barges and fish farms.

[3] The centre ranked Sevmash as the 7th most successful enterprise of the Russian defense industry in 2009, based on a comparison of key financial and operational indicators.

[3] The construction of the enterprise had its origins in the first Soviet 5-year plan when the decision was made to significantly expand shipbuilding capacity.

[17] During World War II, the shipyard was involved in repairing warships and producing turret artillery units and mine-sweeping equipment.

In the mid-1970s, its facilities underwent major reconstruction; its industrial capacity was doubled and it had Russia's largest covered slipway installed.