VESSEL REVIEW | Valentin Manturov – Norebo Group's new factory trawler built for Atlantic fishing trips

Russian fishing company the Norebo Group recently took delivery of a new factory trawler completed by its own shipyard facilities in the Leningrad Oblast region. The vessel, which has been named Valentin Manturov (Валентин Мантуров) in honour of a Murmansk-born entrepreneur and statesman, is the first of four under the Project 03095 series.

Ice-capable design ensuring a broader operating window

Norwegian naval architecture firm Cramaco originally designed the DNV-classed series that would become Project 03095. A number of modifications were incorporated into the design to ensure its compliance with Russian Maritime Register of Shipping rules, particularly the Ice3 and AUT1 requirements.

Construction of Valentin Manturov itself began in 2019 at Russia's Pella Shipyard, which was later acquired by the Norebo Group and has since been renamed Otradnoye Shipyard. This was in fulfilment of an order by a different customer, but the vessel – which was then known by a different name – was not completed until earlier this year. All four Project 03095 factory trawlers (as well as their allocated investment quotas) were acquired by Norebo even as these were under various stages of construction.

Ample processing facilities

Valentin Manturov has a length of 70 metres (230 feet), a beam of 13.5 metres (44.3 feet), a design draught of 6.6 metres (22 feet), a displacement of 3,730 tonnes at full load, a deadweight tonnage of 1,400, and accommodation for 60 crewmembers and fish factory personnel. A main engine with a rated output of 5,220 kW (7,000 hp) at 750 rpm will deliver a speed of 14.5 knots.

The vessel is classified as a medium-tonnage trawler with equipment for bottom trawling and an onboard factory optimised for processing frozen fillets as well as fish oil, fishmeal, and canned products. The fish factory has outputs of 50 tonnes of fishmeal per day and 100 tonnes of other fish products per day. The factory deck also features equipment for sorting, gutting, and decapitation.

The freezer hold has a total capacity of 1,350 cubic metres (47,700 cubic feet) and temperature set at –30 degrees Celsius while a separate hold will be able to store up to 230 cubic metres (8,120 cubic feet) of fishmeal at over 18 degrees Celsius. The gutted and uncut fish will meanwhile be kept in vertical plate freezers and fillets will be housed in horizontal freezers.

The crew accommodation spaces are kept comfortable with the aid of an HVAC system. The wheelhouse windows are fitted with demisting systems to ensure clearer visibility during periods of precipitation.

Valentin Manturov will be operated primarily in the North and South Atlantic.