The Russian Fishery Company (RFC) has moved ahead a step in its fleet renewal programme with the decommissioning of one of its older trawlers ahead of taking delivery of its first newbuild.
The 103 metre Bazhenovsk dates back to 1980 and this is the next stage of RFC’s extensive renewal progamme as it expects to take delivery of its first newbuild before the end of this year. This will be followed by next year by the first pair of the series of new new vessels being built in Russia under the investment quotas programme for RFC at the Admiralty Shipyard.
‘By the end of the year, the first vessel of the new fleet of supertrawlers will replace the outdated tonnage that is leaving the fleet,’ commented RFC director general Viktor Litvinenko.
‘In the coming years, the RFC will receive eleven new vessels that will significantly increase the efficiency of fishing, enhance its safety and environmental friendliness, and improve working and living conditions for our fishermen.’
He commented that the high-efficiency supertrawlers will be the most technologically advanced vessels in the Russian fleet, each designed to handle catches of around 60,000 tonnes annually. This is more than double the handling capacity of the company’s current fleet.
RFC’s investments in the construction of the series of new vessels exceed 65 billion rubles.
