A deal for Danish company Carsoe, reported last year, has been confirmed. The contract is for seven complete factory decks for a series of trawlers being built for the Russian Fishery Company (RFC), one of the largest operators in the Russian Far East. The Skipsteknisk-designed vessels are expected to replace older tonnage as they are delivered over the next seven years.
For Carsoe this is the company’s largest order so far, bringing it closer to its main competitor. The first of the new trawlers will be built at a yard in Turkey, and this will be followed six identical vessels ordered from the Admiralty Shipyard in Saint Petersburg, with Carsoe selected as the factory deck supplier for the whole series.
‘We’re one of just two companies in the world that can deliver complete fish processing factories for ships of this calibre and the order is a great victory for us because it demonstrates that we’re able to co-operate closely across our business units in Denmark and the US,’ said Carsoe CEO Mikkal Jacobsen.
‘At the same time, the order is pivotal for us since it strengthens the company considerably compared to our nearest competitor in Norway.’
He commented that this order will contribute considerably to the strong development of Carsoe in the coming years, and that the Russian fishing industry is undergoing a process of change after years of struggling when there were minimal opportunities for investment and development. The Russian government’s investment quotas initiative has triggered a great deal of change as fishing companies are now able to modernise and invest.
The RFC trawlers are Skipsteknisk-designed ST-192 vessels with an 108 metre overall length and a 21 metre beam, and the Carsoe factory decks will have capacity to process 400-500 tonnes of fish per day.
For Carsoe the value of the order as a whole will be close to 37 billion rubles by the time the last of the series leaves the Admiralty shipyard.
‘Industry experts predict that only few of these ships will be built in the US and Canada in the years to come,’ said Jeppe Christensen, Carsoe Seafood Processing’s sales and business manager.
‘Therefore, this order is significant on a global level. We’ve been very successful with our complete processing factories for shrimp trawlers, and we’re among the only ones in the world who can manufacture factories for the production of surimi at sea. This has contributed to us winning the tender for Russian Fishery Company.’
