VESSEL REVIEW | Georgiy Meshcheryakov – Russia’s Okeanrybflot takes delivery of Pacific squid trawler

Tersan Shipyard of Turkey recently handed over a new factory trawler to fishing company Okeanrybflot based in the Russian Far East.

Designed by Norwegian naval architects Skipsteknisk in compliance to Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (RMRS) rules, Georgiy Meshcheryakov is one of the largest purpose-built factory trawlers in the world in terms of size and beam, measuring 108.2 metres by 20 metres and with a gross tonnage of approximately 8,300. The vessel is built for trawling for Alaska Pollock in the Sea of Okhotsk, as well as herring, mackerel, pollock, and squid off Russia's Pacific coast.

The acquisition of the trawler named after Okeanrybflot's first director, the late Georgiy Vasilyevich Meshcheryakov, is part of a fleet renewal program that was begun in 2015. Specifically, the company had wanted a new series of two large factory trawlers that complied with the latest requirements in addition to being durable enough to withstand the harsh conditions in Russia's northern coastal waters. Construction of the new trawler was already underway in Turkey with its keel about to be laid when Mr Meshcheryakov died in 2019, and Okeanrybflot subsequently decided to name the vessel after the former director.

The vessel is equipped for both pelagic and semi-pelagic trawling, using two main trawl winches working in combination with ice trawl gallows and four large pelagic sweep line drums. It is also fitted with two 4,060kW main engines and two 1,900kW auxiliary engines. In ballast condition, it can easily make around 16 knots.

The holds can accommodate cargo totalling 4,700 cubic metres while freezing capacity is set at 450 tonnes per day. Processing facilities are available for producing fishmeal and fish oil.

The vessel has accommodations for up to 150 crewmembers and fish factory personnel and is designed to ensure comfortable living and working conditions for up to 11 months in between port calls. The onboard spaces also include a medical bay.

Georgiy Meshcheryakov has been granted RMRS' substantial ice reinforcements, reefer notation, and one-man bridge class, indicating a high degree of onboard automation. Sister vessel Vladimir Biryukov is under construction at Tersan's facilities and is scheduled for delivery before the end of this year. Both new vessels will replace Okeanrybflot's existing fleet of trawlers that were built during the Soviet era and are nearing the ends of their respective service lives.

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