Investment quotas have provided an incentive to building a fishing fleet in Russia, but implementation of the programme has revealed a number of problems at factories and shipyards, which are operating at peak capacity. What issues are important to focus on in relation to building fishing vessels?

To discuss the first results of the collaboration between Russian fishery companies and shipbuilders in renewing the fleet, Korabel.ru, fishery information portal and partner of the Global Fishery Forum & Seafood Expo Russia 2021, held a roundtable with industry actors on 10 September.

Nikolai Nazarenko, Deputy CEO for Fleet Development and Modernisation at the North West Fishing Consortium, pointed out that, to ensure the industry’s development, the fishing fleet productivity would have to be increased by means of an investment quota programme. He shared his experience of building the trawler-processor Barents Sea at the Vyborg Shipyard (part of the United Shipbuilding Corporation, USC). In developing the projects, not only production process efficiency is taken into account, but also the fishermen's needs for comfortable working and resting conditions while at sea, Nikolai Nazarenko stressed.

Pavel Balon, CEO of MC FOR, highlighted the need to preserve the shipbuilding infrastructure following the current fleet renewal programme and to develop it further. In his view, shipyards may need government support for this.

Representatives of design bureaux shared their experience of harmonising future ship designs and made their own suggestions for optimising and speeding up the shipbuilding process. They also provided a comparative analysis of the design and shipbuilding processes in Russia and other countries and at different shipyards.

Igor Orlov, CEO of Severnaya Verf (part of the United Shipbuilding Corporation), spoke about the shipyard's experience of working at peak load and implementing new solutions unparalleled in the Russian shipbuilding industry. He noted the importance of the competencies acquired by the shipyards.

In addition, the participants discussed the experience of building crab vessels.

Earlier, on 8 September, design and construction of fishing vessels were discussed at a conference organised by the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping called “Design and Construction of RS-classed Fishing Fleet. Open Dialogue with the Industry”.

Source: Press Office of the Global Fishery Forum & Seafood Expo Russia 2021.