The third Russian supertrawler of the Russian Fishery Company was launched in the presence of the President of the Russian Federation
At Admiralty Shipyards (St. Petersburg) launched supertrawler Mekhanik Sizov, which is the third vessel of the supertrawler series under construction for the Russian Fishery Company (RFC), which the FSA member company. The activation ceremony was attended by the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, who watched the launch of the vessel from the cutter.
In total, Admiralty Shipyards will build 10 similar vessels for the Russian Fishery Company (RFC); the total investment in construction is more than 80 billion rubles.
The trawlers construction project is being implemented under the state program "investment quotas", aimed at renewal of the domestic fishing fleet and increasing the efficiency of developing of valuable national biological resources.
A lot of attention is being paid to the fisheries in Russia as an integral part of our food security. To solve this problem, the mechanism of investment quotas continues to be implemented in Russia that facilitates modernization the production capacities of the fishing industry. 79 contracts have already been signed under this program; investments amounted to 200 billion rubles, 90% of which will channel to the construction of fishing vessels. The Ministry of Agriculture is interested in such projects. The vessels will allow us to deliver high-quality finished products to our citizens and certainly increase the value of exports.
The supertrawlers being built for RFC are the largest and most high-technology Russian fishing vessels. Each new vessel is designed for an annual yield of 60,000 tons of fish, which is 2.5 times higher than the productivity of the vessels that today form the basis of the fishing fleet in the Far East of the Russian Federation.
With the commissioning of supertrawlers, the Russian fishing industry gets vessels of fundamentally new level of efficiency, environmental compatibility, and safety at the disposal. The factory of such a vessel is twice as productive as that working currently on our vessels; and at the same time, the environmental impact of the trawler is half. Modern energy efficiency technologies and a new generation engine have allowed us to reduce carbon footprint.
The features of the new fleet will be significantly increased production capacity, maximum safety, and high environmental compatibility and improved working conditions and leisure facilities for crews. The vessels will be equipped with a modern fish factory capable of zero-waste ultra-processing of the total catch into products with high value added.
The supertrawlers of the Russian Fishery Company will be able to operate amid the most poor weather conditions that will prolong the fishing season. Fitting out with modern technological equipment will make it possible to produce high-margin types of walleye pollock and herring products on board, including a new product – surimi. This commercially successful ultra-processed product is not currently produced on board vessels in Russia.
The putting into commission of new fishing vessels and the development of walleye pollock fillet and surimi production will allow the company to significantly reduce the environmental impact. Due to fuel efficiency, the carbon footprint generated by the new fleet of RFC is the lowest among global walleye pollock harvesters.
The supertrawler is named after the honored veteran of the fishing fleet, chief engineer Vladimir Abramovich Sizov (1936–2013), who devoted more than 30 years to work on the ships of the whaling flotilla and fishing trawlers. He worked his way up from motorman to chief engineer from 1962 to 1992. For fighting and labor merits, he was awarded nine state awards, as well as he was granted title of honor "Honored Worker of the Fisheries of Russia".
My grandfather had magical hands, like a true mechanical engineer. And everything he did with his own hands worked perfectly. And if it is true that the name of a vessel determines its fate, I believe that this supertrawler is in safe hands.