VESSEL REVIEW | Sokoch & Apacha – Compact, ice-capable seiners for Russian Far East waters

The V.I. Lenin Fishing Collective Farm on Kamchatka in Russia's Far East has taken delivery of two vessels in a new series of compact seine netting vessels built by local shipyard Torsiotest.

Focus on seine netting

Sokoch and Apacha were built to a design by local engineering firm Forss Technology in compliance with Russian Maritime Register Shipping (RS) requirements. The Project 04130 series of seiners are designed to catch fish in raw form with processing only to be done subsequently at onshore factories.

Because there is no need for onboard processing facilities, the vessels can be built to be as small as possible and with shallow draughts to permit access to a wider range of deep-sea and near-shore areas.

The design ensures safe operation in temperatures of 20 degrees Celsius at 60 per cent humidity during the summer and –20 degrees Celsius at 85 per cent humidity during the winter. Navigation is possible in fine-broken rarefied ice up to 0.5-metre (1.6-foot) thick in non-Arctic seas.

Each vessel has all-steel construction, a length of 26.45 metres (86.78 feet), a beam of eight metres (26 feet), a draught of only 2.2 metres (7.2 feet), a depth of 3.65 metres (12 feet), a displacement of 306.3 tonnes, a gross tonnage of 211, and a cargo hold capacity of 90 cubic metres (3,100 cubic feet). Power is provided by a diesel engine with a rated output of 441 kW (591 hp) driving a fixed-pitch propeller.

Simplicity of design facilitating streamlined construction

Accommodation spaces are available for a seven-strong crew who will be able to stay out at sea for up to three days thanks to the endurance ensured by the design. However, the vessels’ size means that their navigation will be restricted to within Russian domestic waters only.

Each seiner has been designed with the superstructure placed near the bow and the engine room located aft. Construction of the vessels and installation of modern fishing gear can be completed in as little as six months.

The remaining four vessels in the Project 04130 series will be delivered to the V.I. Lenin Fishing Collective Farm before the end of the first half of 2025, after which they will be deployed in the Sea of Okhotsk and other far east waters to catch various species such as cod. The construction of the entire series is in fulfilment of an investment quota initiative launched by the Russian government.