How a 1939 Soviet shipping company shaped Russia's Far East

The Kolyma-Indigirka River Shipping Company (KIRP) was founded on May 10, 1939, to manage water transport in Russia’s Far East. Its operations began with a fleet of 152 vessels, including 28 self-propelled ships, spread across two major rivers in the region. KIRP started under the control of Glavsevmorput, a Soviet maritime authority, with its main office in Zyryanka. The fleet was split between the Kolyma and Indigirka rivers, with 141 vessels on the Kolyma and 11 on the Indigirka. A.Ye. Lelikov was appointed as the company’s first director.

In 1941, oversight of KIRP shifted to Dalstroy, a Soviet organisation responsible for industrial and infrastructure projects in the area. This change lasted until 1958, when Dalstroy was dissolved. After that, KIRP came under the Ministry of River Fleet of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR).

The company’s early years saw it operating under different authorities, from Glavsevmorput to Dalstroy and later the RSFSR’s river fleet ministry. Its initial fleet of 152 vessels laid the foundation for transport and logistics in the remote Kolyma and Indigirka river basins.