New super-trawlers give RK Lenina, Russian Fishery Company more fishing, processing firepower

A new super-trawler being built for Russia’s Collective Farm Fishery by V.I. Lenin (RK Lenina) will be equipped with state-of-the-art processing and chilling equipment provided by Skaginn 3X and Frost.

RK Lenina, based in in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy on the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia’s Far East, fishes for a variety of species including Pacific cod, Alaska pollock, pink and chum salmon, and squid. Its new 121-meter super-trawler, being built at the Yantar Shipyard in Kaliningrad, Russia for launch by the end of 2022, will have twin-trawling capabilities, allowing it to fish for multiple species at once. It will also be equipped with multiple pumping systems for bringing its catch onboard. In addition, it will be able to process fish caught by other vessels, and is able to process up to 450 metric tons of fish daily and has 5,100 cubic meters of total storage for processed fish. RK Lenina Chairman Sergey Tarusov said the construction of the new vessel comes as a result of incentives provided by the Russian government to help spur the country’s fishing companies to upgrade their vessels in exchange for larger quota shares.

“The new processing equipment from Skaginn 3X and Frost, supported by the superior design of the vessel itself, clearly demonstrates our commitment to innovative thinking, modern fishing methods and processing,” Tarusov said.

Icelandic firms Skaginn 3X and Frost won the contract to outfit the vessel with processing and chilling equipment, bidding through the Icelandic maritime consortium Knarr Rus. In a press release, Skaginn 3X said the deal was worth millions of dollars, but did not specify an exact amount. The company said it will provide multi-purpose processing, grading, handling, and packing equipment capable of delivering up to 10 batches per minute at high speed. 

“The design also allows for complete elimination of vertical plate freezers, enabling greater flexibility and a complete closed refrigeration system for future demands for a safe work environment,” the company said.

Skaginn 3X Russian Regional Manager Petur Jakob Petursson said the company was “extremely grateful for the opportunity to become part of Russian maritime history,” Petursson said.

“This will be the largest fishing vessel in the past 30 years in Russia. And just to put things into perspective, this magnificent ship’s output will be 50 percent higher than the capacity of super-trawlers currently operated by other Russian fisheries firms, as well as [having 100 percent more cargo space,” Petursson said.

Frost will deliver the vessel’s complete cooling and freezing solution, which includes the design and delivery of a the rapid seawater cooling system for the bunkers. The project was designed to meet “the highest and environmentally friendly standards and demands,” according to Frost Sales and Marketing Manager Gudmundur Hannesson added

“This deal reflects the solid co-operation between our three firms,” Hannesson added. “With this deal, Skaginn 3X and Frost are now firmly putting their mark on the Pacific fisheries market by providing a unique turnkey solution, which sharply increases capacity, while boosting product quality.”

In a separate announcement Russian Fishery Company said on 4 April that construction has begun on its second of five or six planned super-trawlers being built under the governmental incentives program. All of the newships are being built at Admiralty Shipyards in Saint Petersburg, Russia, with a contractual planned completion date of 2023. For its participation in the program, the company will receive an additional 170,000 metric tons of pollock and herring quota per year. 

Russian Fishery Company's first two new trawlers are scheduled to launch in 2020 and are being designed with the capacity to catch 50,000 metric tons of fish annually. 

"This is twice as much as the performance of the ships that make up today the fleet of the RFC and many other Russian companies," RFC CEO Fedor Kirsanov said in a press release.

The vessels will be capable of carrying out deep-skin processing for production of high value-added products, primarily pollock fillets and surimi, Kirsanov said.

"This is a clear confirmation of the effectiveness of the state program of investment quotas, thanks to which RFC, our fishermen, the fishing industry will receive new, high-performance vessels, which have not been constructed in Russia before," Kirsanov said. "Russian shipyards are provided with orders for several years ahead, civil shipbuilding has received a powerful impulse for development, and our company gets the opportunity to reach a new level of efficiency, environmental friendliness and safety of the fishery."

Photo courtesy of RK Lenina