VESSEL REVIEW | Vaigach – First in new series of Russian Barents Sea crab boats

Russian shipbuilder Krasnoye Sormovo has completed construction of a new crab fishing vessel ordered by local operator the North-Western Fishing Consortium.

Vaigach is the first to be built under the five-strong Project KSP01 series designed by the Marine Engineering Bureau in accordance to Russian Maritime Register of Shipping rules covering operation in the Barents Sea. The vessels will also have onboard factories, each with a rated processing output of 60 tonnes of Kamchatka crab and 30 tonnes of snow crab per day.

The factory equipment also includes packaging facilities. The Project KSP01 vessels are notable for being the first Russian-built vessels to feature fishing and processing equipment specifically for use with crabs.

The vessel has a length of 61.9 metres, a beam of 15 metres, and a maximum draught of 6.4 metres. Power is provided by a 2,720kW main engine while a 940kW generator and a 350kW generator supply electricity for the various onboard systems.

The fishing equipment is designed to allow crab catching in water depths of between 20 and 400 metres, A 60-cubic metre tank will be used for storing live crab while the freezer hold will have capacity for 1,000 cubic metres. Two three-tonne cranes will be used for handling crab pots.

The accommodation spaces can house 38 crewmembers.

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.

Click here for more news and gear stories, feature articles, and vessel reviews as part of this month's focus on fishing and aquaculture.