Each year, Seafood Expo Russia brings together all types of companies that support the fishing industry, fish processing, aquaculture, and the entire commodity distribution chain to the delivery of finished products to the end consumer. A whole system of large, medium, and small businesses is involved in this process, each of which is essential for the stable operation and development of the fisheries industry.
Equipment plays a key role in supporting the main production processes and supply chains. Not all of the usual suppliers from Europe are still working on the Russian market, but the ones that have continued to fulfil the terms of cooperation provide significant support to the industry. The fishing industry continues to develop, and in such an environment, each company that remains on the market takes on increased importance. Participation in the expo not only helps to generate lots of new orders, but also demonstrate loyalty to customers by supporting them in difficult times.
What types of equipment are in demand in the industry today and presented at the exhibition?
Outfitting ship systems and fishing gear
Fishing is the backbone of the fishing industry, so priority attention needs to be paid to fishing gear and equipment for outfitting ship systems. A campaign to provide fish and seafood quotas for investment in the construction of new vessels has not only made it possible to overcome an almost thirty-year gap in orders from the civil shipbuilding industry, but also spurred on the production of domestic fishing gear for the outfitting of ships under construction, including mid-depth trawls for fishing in various regions of the world ocean. Russian manufacturers that take part in Seafood Expo Russia include Master of Fishing, Primorskoye Net Knitting Production Facility, Marine Supply, and Fishering Service.
At present, Russian shipyards have around 70 fishing vessels in various stages of readiness. Preliminary estimates show that roughly 8,000 km of cable will be required to outfit them. Civil shipbuilding will be developing at an accelerated pace, in part due to new orders from the fishing industry for ships of various types and purposes. Even today, companies in the fisheries industry account for around a third of all orders in the civil shipbuilding industry. Federal Agency for Fishery Director Ilya Shestakov has repeatedly noted the need to expand the types of vessels under construction to meet the demand for a transport refrigeration and research fleet. This contributes to an overall increase in demand for components that are not specific to fishing vessels, which, in addition to cable, include engines as well as navigation, control, and safety systems. This is major reason why cable and equipment manufacturers whose activities are not directly related to fishing vessels actively take part in Seafood Expo Russia. Such companies include Spetskabel, MarineLight, SegmentEnergo, Armalit, MT-Group, and Furuno.
Processing, production, and packaging of finished products
Another important component is equipment for the processing, production, and packaging of finished products. The transition from the raw material model towards production with high added value is one of the key stages in the development of the fisheries industry, which can be achieved through developing the deep processing sector. Some of the most in-demand equipment for the production of finished products today includes: filleting machines, equipment for slicing (slicers), the production of canned food and preserves, minced meat, fishmeal, pastes, semi-finished products, delicacies, caviar, seafood salads (seafood cocktails), and dried fish.
In addition, the fishing industry needs packaging materials and equipment for product packaging. The main customers for such materials and equipment in the fishing industry are processors, fishers, traders, and fish farmers. In 2021, 45% of exhibitors were interested in packaging solutions, and interest continues to grow today.
The exhibitors will pay particular attention to equipment used to pack canned products, which currently have enormous potential on the domestic and export markets. The social importance of canned goods has increased several times over in just a few months of 2022, which means that demand has grown both domestically and abroad. In addition, they have an advantage due to their rather simple logistics compared with the transportation of frozen and chilled fish.
Manufacturers of packaging materials and equipment include Atlantis-Pak, MP-Technologies, and Profitex.
Canned goods are promising, but they are not the only focus for developing the deep processing sector of fish and seafood. This year, ready-to-eat products will be split off into a separate section due to the high level of interest among exhibitors and visitors. A New Products Showcase will be set up for the first time to demonstrate new goods.
Refrigeration and freezing equipment
The industry simply cannot function without refrigeration and freezing equipment. It is used during all stages of the commodity distribution chain, from catching or raising fish to the store shelves, and plays a key role in maintaining storage and transportation conditions for fish products and preserving their consumer properties. This sector has always been important, but today, given the transformation of logistics chains, the development of new export destinations, and the increase in domestic shipments, the industry has become even more interested in modern refrigeration and freezing equipment.
Exhibitors in this section include: GEA Refrigeration, Kinarca, Ingenium, AirCool, and Barentscool.
In addition to the exposition, the use of various types of cooling agents in logistics infrastructure will also be discussed as part of the business program. In 2021, COMITAS held a seminar on outfitting multi-temperature warehouses and automating warehouse logistics for fish processing enterprises. The Association of Refrigerated Rolling Stock Operators and Rossoyuzkholodprom have organized a conference on continuous cold chain (CCC), which has become an annual event. This year it will be devoted to discussions of a bill about the CCC, which should establish and clarify the technical requirements for the transportation of perishable products to ensure their safety and monitor the entire chain of sales and transportation. The conference will take into account the comments of industry representatives on the bill before it is submitted for consideration by the public and relevant state authorities.
Breeding and cultivation
This year, equipment for aqua and mariculture will be located in the aquaculture sector in Pavilion G. A recirculating water supply system (RWSS) will be assembled from the components provided by exhibitors in the centre of the exhibition hall. The system will have several independent recirculation rings, which will make it possible to show how any type of equipment can operate in various conditions and operating modes. The pool will hold live fish throughout the exhibition to demonstrate how the equipment operates under a natural biological load. Russian manufacturers will speak about and advise visitors on the principles of how the RSWW functions as part of the joint booth of aquaculture equipment manufacturers, which will be managed by the Aquaterix Group. The joint exposition will demonstrate the advantages of the equipment in real conditions. This will be the primary, but not the only novelty of the aquaculture equipment section of the exhibition.
Companies taking part in the aquaculture equipment section include: Immid-Aquaculture, Kasimovsnast, Luxsol, and Moresnast.
In addition to the types of equipment mentioned here, the exposition at Seafood Expo Russia is annually supplemented by other types of manufacturers. In 2021, SeaBass & SeaFish outfits for working at sea were introduced. This year, the exhibition will also feature Sitronics Group, a major Russian IT company, which will offer advanced solutions for the development and introduction of software and control systems.
In the current environment, when the industry has enormous interest in various types of equipment, manufacturers and suppliers have the opportunity to fill new niches in an actively developing market. Seafood Expo Russia, as Russia’s only international fish industry, seafood, and technology exhibition, invites new companies to take part in the exposition and become a key participant in the entire industry.