Putin Watches Launch of Third Supertrawler for Russian Fishery Company
At the Admiralty shipyards (St. Petersburg) a ceremony of launching the third vessel "Mechanic Sizov '' of the supertrawler series for the Russian Fishery Company (RFC) took place. The ceremony was attended by President Putin, who briefly watched the launching of the vessel from his boat. Vladimir Putin visited St-Petersburg mainly to take part in the naval parade dedicated to the 325-year anniversary of the Russian Navy while watching the launch of the supertrawler was an event to highlight the growing contribution of the naval yards to civilian shipbuilding, reports Megafishnet.com.
According to RFC, the commissioning of the vessel is scheduled for 2022. In total, the Admiralty shipyards will build 10 similar vessels for the RFC, the total investment in construction will be more than 80 billion rubles (ca. $1.1 billion).
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 fishery.
“The fishery complex in Russia is now given a lot of attention as an integral part of our food security,” said Deputy Minister of Agriculture Oksana Lut, who became the “godmother” of the vessel. - To solve this problem, Russia continues to implement the mechanism of investment quotas, which is designed to modernize the production capacity of the fishing industry. Now 79 agreements have already been signed under this program, investments amounted to 200 billion rubles, 90% of which will go to the construction of fishing vessels. The Ministry of Agriculture is interested in such projects. They will help deliver high-quality finished products to our citizens and, of course, increase the value of exports. "
The supertrawlers under construction 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.
“With the commissioning of the supertrawlers, the Russian fishing industry will have at its disposal a fundamentally new level of efficiency, environmental friendliness, and safety,” said Viktor Litvinenko, general director of the RFC. - The factory of such vessel is twice as productive as those working on our trawlers today, and at the same time, the impact of the supertrawler on the environment is half as much. Modern energy efficient technologies and a new generation engine allowed us to reduce our carbon footprint”.
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.
The 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.
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.