Sixth annual voyage along Northern Sea Route underway to deliver Pacific salmon

On August 13, 2021, the Symphony transport reefer, owned by the Dobroflot Group of Companies, began the sixth annual expedition along the Northern Sea Route (NSR) to deliver pacific salmon from the Russian Far East to Arkhangelsk, reports Megafishnet.com.

According to the company, since 2015, Dobroflot Group has been carrying out regular shipments of wild Far Eastern salmon and other species to the European regions of Russia along the NSR. The six-year experience of the group confirms that with the correct organization of the process, the use of the Northern Sea Route is most profitable and convenient when transporting Pacific fish to the western regions of the country directly from the fishing grounds. All in all, Dobroflot has delivered more than 20,000 tons of cargo via the NSR.

The reefer will deliver about 3,000 tons of environmentally friendly Far Eastern salmon fish products to Arkhangelsk. The vessel got loaded directly at sea, collecting fish freshly caught and processed by the motherships of "Dobroflot". Without entering the port, the ship moved to Arkhangelsk along the shortest route. The salmon caught off the coast of Kamchatka as part of the summer harvest will be delivered to retail chains of Russia’s European regions next month. The approximate date of the ship's arrival in the port of Arkhangelsk is August 25-26.

The vessel will travel more than 15,000 nautical miles from Okhotsk to the White Sea and back. The reinforced ice hull of the transport refrigerator allows it to sail successfully even in the harsh conditions of the Arctic Ocean. The vessel will pass most of the way independently, but Rosatomflot icebreakers will be involved in the difficult ice sections of the NSR to ensure safe passage.

The manager of the Dobroflot Group of Companies, Alexander Efremov, noted: "We have been using the Northern Sea Route for the sixth year to deliver Far Eastern fish products to the European part of Russia and have fully appreciated all the advantages of this route. With traditional delivery (by rail), the fish is transshipped at least 2-3 times with risks of losing the temperature regime. There are no such problems when delivering via the Northern Sea Route. The continuity of the cold chain along the entire route from the fishery to the consumer ensures high quality of fish. Thanks to the use of the NSR, Pacific fish arrives in the western regions of the country directly from the fishing grounds. Due to this, we reduce transport and logistics costs and transportation times, which means that we maintain not only the quality of Dobroflot products, but also an attractive price for the consumer."

Tigroflot (Tiger fleet)

The transport refrigerator "Symphony" became the first large sea vessel in the world, the hull of which is decorated with the image of the Amur tiger. This is the result of the "Tigroflot" project implemented by the Dobroflot Group and the autonomous non-profit organization "Center for the Study and Conservation of the Amur Tiger Population". The aim of the project is to draw attention to the problem of preserving the population of a rare predator, which is a symbol of the unique nature of the Russian Far East.