At the Admiralty shipyards (St. Petersburg), the first stage of factory sea trials of the large freezer fishing trawler of project ST-192 "Kapitan Vdovichenko", the first supertrawler in the series being built for the Russian Fishery Company, has been successfully completed, according to the company's release.
The vessel was tested in the area of the Gogland island in the Gulf of Finland. The commissioning team checked the operation of the main engine and auxiliary diesel generators of the vessel, carried out sea and speed tests, and made vibration measurements. Experts tested the navigation system and radio communication systems, fuel, oil and general ship systems. Also, the trawler has successfully passed the draft test. The first stage of sea trials at the factory showed that the main characteristics of the ultra-modern vessel correspond to the contractual obligations.
In the near future, the fishing trawler will dock in dry dock, where the final finishing of the premises, adjustment of the fish factory, fish meal and refrigeration units will be carried out.
In total, 10 vessels will be built by the Admiralty shipyards for the RFC. The trawler construction project is being implemented within the framework of the state program of investment quotas; aimed at updating the domestic fishing fleet and increasing the efficiency of the development of valuable national biological resources. One more supertrawler, Vladimir Limanov, was built outside the program at the Tersan shipyard (Turkey) and has already been commissioned.
The supertrawlers for the RFC are the largest and most technologically advanced Russian fishing vessels. Each new vessel is designed for an annual catch of 60 thousand tons of fish, which is 2.5 times higher than the productivity of the vessels that are today the basis of the fishing fleet in the Far East of the Russian Federation. The features of the new fleet will be significantly increased production capacity, maximum safety, high environmental friendliness and improved working and rest conditions for crews.
The vessels will be equipped with a modern factory capable of deep waste-free processing of the entire catch into products with high added value. Supertrawlers of the Russian Fishery Company will be able to operate in the most difficult weather conditions, which will extend the effective fishing time. Equipping with modern technological equipment will make it possible to produce high-margin products from pollock and herring on board, including a new product - surimi.
Currently, this highly demanded product of deep processing in Russia is not produced. The commissioning of new fishing vessels and the development of Pollock fillet and surimi production will allow the company to significantly reduce its environmental impact. Thanks to its fuel efficiency, the carbon footprint of the new RFC fleet is the lowest among the world's Pollock harvesters.
About Russian Fishery Company
RFC is one of the largest producers of Pollock globally. The company is among the three leading Russian producers of wild white fish. The main harvested species are Pollock and Pacific Нerring. RFC is engaged in fishing in the far Eastern fisheries basin. The Company’s large fishing vessels are well suited to work in all fishing areas and under all climate conditions. They are equipped with modern fishing and processing equipment from leading international suppliers that enables the vessels to harvest different types of seafood. Strategic goals of the Company involve increasing the output of high value-added products due to building of new, state-of-the-art supertrawlers. RFC is building a new fleet of 11 supertrawlers. Each trawler is designed for an annual catch of more than 60 thousand tons of fish, which is 2.5 times higher than the productivity of vessels that are today the basis of the fishing fleet in the Russian Far East. The first of supertrawlers to be built for the RFC was handed over to the company in 2020.