Nikolaev is a major city in southern Ukraine. There are several variations of the city`s name. The city is located 65 kilometers (40 mi) from the Black Sea along the estuary of the Southern Buh river. Nikolaev is the administrative center of the Nikolaev Oblast (province). Today Nikolaev is a major shipbuilding center of Ukraine (as, earlier, of the whole Soviet Union) and an important riverport. The city has three major shipyards one of which is capable of building large navy ships. Other important industries are mechanical engineering, power engineering, metallurgy and cosmetics.