The article examines the key factors and development priorities of one of the most important branches of transport engineering in Russia - shipbuilding. This industry is a major one in the Northwestern Federal District, relying on powerful coastal shipbuilding clusters in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region, in Severodvinsk and Kaliningrad. The features of the localization of the industry and its change in the 2000s were highlighted, the factors and development priorities were shown, considering the peculiarities of the economic and geographical position and the capabilities of the region.