VESSEL REVIEW | Norvezhskoye More – Ice-class trawler to operate in Russia’s Northern Fishery Basin

Russian fishing company Arkhangelsk Trawl Fleet has taken delivery of a new Project KMT01 ice-class factory trawler from local builder Vyborg Shipyard, a company under state-owned United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC).

Designed by Russia's Marine Engineering Bureau (MEB) and Norwegian naval architects Skipsteknisk in compliance to Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (KM) class rules, Norvezhskoye More ("Norwegian Sea") is the second Project KMT01 factory trawler to be delivered to the same customer after 2020-built sister vessel Barentsevo More. The newbuilds belong to a planned series of four and are the first large-capacity KM-classed trawlers to be built by a Russian shipyard in the last 30 years.

Norvezhskoye More has a length of 86 metres, a beam of 17 metres, and a draught of 8.9 metres. The new vessel is equipped for both bottom and pelagic trawling of various species of fish and shrimp and is also capable of manufacturing fish products that include fishmeal, fillets, fish oil, H&G products, and canned products, thanks to a highly automated onboard plant. Accommodations are available for 49 personnel including vessel crew and fish processing technicians.

The vessel has been updated to Ice3 class with an option of hull strengthening to Arc4 class to enable sailings in Arctic waters for extended periods, making it ideal for the waters of its main area of operations in the Northern Fishery Basin just off Norway's Svalbard archipelago.

An HVAC system was supplied by Heinen and Hopman, which had also provided a refrigeration plant to aid in preserving the freshness of the onboard cargo. The HVAC ensures improved comfort for the occupants even when the outside air temperatures drop to minus 15 degrees Celsius.

The vessel has a massive freezer hold with capacity for 2,500 cubic metres while fish meal cargo hold and canning cargo hold capacities are at 350 cubic metres and 100 cubic metres, respectively. The onboard factory can process up to 160 tonnes of fish in one day, and this figure also includes 40 tonnes of ground fish for fillets, 60 tonnes for fishmeal and oils, and 5,000 cans.

The vessel also comes equipped with a six-tonne crane on the aft deck, a 2.5-tonne crane on the foredeck, and a three-tonne crane mounted amidships. Another notable feature is the trawl equipment, which also includes an automatic palletising system for added efficiency.

Power for all onboard systems is drawn from two generator sets, with outputs of 500 kW and 900 kW, respectively, while one 6,000kW IMO Tier III-compliant main engine gives the trawler a speed of 15 knots. An 850kW bow thruster provides added manoeuvrability for berthing/unberthing and navigating in more restrictive waters.

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