VESSEL REVIEW | Mekhanik Sizov – Trawler/processor designed for Russian Far East waters

Russia’s Admiralty Shipyards, a division of United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC), has delivered a new trawler to the Russian Fishery Company (RRPK).

Mekhanik Sizov is the third in the Project ST192 series of all-steel trawlers developed jointly by Russia’s Marine Engineering Bureau and Norwegian naval architecture firm Skipsteknisk in compliance to Russian Maritime Register of Shipping IA Super and Ice3 rules. It will be used for pelagic trawling of Alaska pollock and herring in the Bering Sea, the Sea of Okhotsk, and adjacent Far East waters. It is designed to yield an annual catch totalling more than 60,000 tonnes, a productivity level more than twice that of the existing vessels of the Far East fishing fleet.

Like its sisters, Mekhanik Sizov has a length of 108.2 metres, a moulded beam of 21 metres, a draught of eight metres, a displacement of 13,500 tonnes, berthing spaces and an onboard hospital for 155 crewmembers, and a fish hold with capacity for 5,620 metres. The onboard factory has a daily freezing capacity of 400 tonnes and is equipped for processing of fillet, minced surimi, and fishmeal. The processing equipment was selected to help minimise excess, resulting in fish products of higher quality.

Seaonics supplied the trawler with an equipment package that includes winches, net drums, capstans, ice trawl gallows, and two cranes. Energy recovery systems are also fitted to help reduce emissions generated by use of the deck equipment. To help further reduce emissions, some of the equipment utilises steam generated from exhaust gases and from a boiler that contains fish oil being used as fuel.

The propulsion system meanwhile delivers a maximum speed of 16 knots. The fuel reserves will enable the vessel to stay out at sea for up to 45 days, allowing fewer fishing trips to be completed to satisfy quotas.

Some of our readers have expressed disquiet at our publication of reviews and articles describing new vessels from Russia. We at Baird Maritime can understand and sympathise with those views. However, despite the behaviour of the country’s leaders, we believe that the maritime world needs to learn of the latest developments in vessel design and construction there.

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