It is strategically important to ensure maintenance of domestic fleet in Russia – Russian Federal Fisheries Agency
The Agency head emphasized the importance of boosting and modernising domestic ship maintenance facilities
Some unfriendly countries are doing themselves a disservice by banning Russian fishing vessels, operating in convention-regulated waters, from calling at their ports or receiving maintenance. As a result, the facilities that used to provide maintenance services to the Russian fleet now suffer significant financial losses, and many are on the verge of bankruptcy, Ilya Shestakov, head of Rosrybolovstvo (Russian Federal Fisheries Agency), said at the meeting held by Russian President Vladimir Putin with Government members. The transcript of the meeting is published on the official website of the Kremlin.
“This situation confirmed the importance of boosting and modernising domestic ship maintenance facilities and creating our own competences. Fleet maintenance is currently one of our greatest challenges. Fishing functionaries are already dealing with shipbuilding issues and even have to address ship maintenance,” said Ilya Shestakov adding that it is strategically important to have the fleet maintained in Russia. “We have been discussing this issue with the Ministry of Industry and Trade, but the matter requires a comprehensive approach and coordinated activity of all involved ministries and agencies,” he said.
The head of Rosrybolovstvo also said that Russian fisheries have delivered more than 3.5 million tonnes of fish this year, which is 13 percent higher than last year. According to him, the production rate is growing across the major commercial fishing regions. “The salmon fishing season is now underway… According to the latest data, as of yesterday the catch has already reached 528,000 tonnes, which is three times more than in 2022. And I have to note that this will be the second largest salmon catch on record. We had 676,000 tonnes in 2018, and expect to have 600,000 tonnes this year,” said Ilya Shestakov.
According to him, this means a higher burden for transport and logistics infrastructure. “Every year, fish shipping costs from Russia’s Far East to other regions around the country go up during the catch season. Several factors lead to higher costs, including port tariffs and the fact that railway operators introduce seasonal price hikes. We keep a close eye on this situation and have filed a request with Russia’s Federal Anti-Monopoly Service asking it to look into the price formation for transport services by rail and sea, including price fluctuations before and during the salmon catch season in Russia’s Far East. We believe that there is potential for avoiding excessive spikes in shipping costs during peak season, said the head of Rosrybolovstvo.
