The first of a series of ten ST-192 trawlers for the Russian Fishing Company has been launched at the Admiralty Shipyard in St. Petersburg. The launch of the 108-metre-long and 21-metre-wide ship “Kapitan Vdovichenko” was attended by the general manager of the shipyard, Alexander Buzakov, and Dmitry Sapov, deputy director of fleet construction of the
The keel for the new trawler had been laid in January last year and it is due to be delivered in April next year. The second trawler in the series, the “Mekanik Maslak”, follows closely behind. While the equipment is installed on board the “Mekanik Maslak”, the third and fourth ships of the series will be already assembled in the shipyard.
The new trawlers will be used to catch Alaskan saithe and herring in the Bering Sea and the Sea of Okhotsk. On board there are facilities for freezing production, as well as the production of fishmeal and fish oil, caviar and fish minced meat. The expected processing capacity is 60-80 tonnes of fillets or 80 tonnes of surimi per day, as well as 250 tonnes of fishmeal. The design provides for a cargo hold of 5500 cubic meters and accommodation for a crew of up to 139 people. The ships have a fuel capacity to keep the ship at sea for 45 days.
“Today we launched the first large freezer trawler of the series for the Russian Fishing Company,” said Alexander Buzakov, General Manager of the shipyard, noting that the first ship in a series is always a challenge, especially if the design is still in development.
“The commissioning of the first of ten supertrawlers for the Russian Fishery Company is proof of the effectiveness of the incentive offered by the investment quota programme, as well as the current opportunities and the positive future of domestic civil shipbuilding,” said Dmitry Sapov, Deputy Director of the Russian Fishery Company at the launch of the ship.
The launch of the “Kapitan Vdovichenko” went according to plan and the entire series is expected to be completed on time. It is very important that Russian shipbuilding has received a strong boost for long-term development. For the first time in a long time, the Russian shipyards are secured with orders for several years.
Heiner Kubny, PolarJournal
