Danish processing equipment manufacturer Carsoe A/S has won a new contract from the Russian Fishery Company (RFC) for the fitting out of four of its vessels with fully-equipped onboard fish processing plants. The order is valued at almost DKK 500 million (US$76.3 million).
Aalborg-headquartered Carsoe previously secured a DKK 800 million ($122.1 million) order from RFC for the delivery of seven other onboard processing systems.
The contracts have followed the introduction of a programme by the Russian government three years ago that encourages the fisheries sector to invest in a more modern fleet of fishing vessels.
Initially, the programme led RFC to invest in the seven modern super trawlers designed for processing surimi. Following successful tests, RFC then placed the order for a further four floating processing plants with Carsoe.
“The order for four more plants is a clear sign of RFC’s huge ambitions in the fast-growing market,” Carsoe CEO, Hugo Dissing, said.
“Carsoe is now by far the largest supplier of value adding floating plants, and the new agreement will fuel our growth well into 2025. We have worked on this in close cooperation with our branch in Seattle and succeeded because of our proven, best of breed technology, which places us well ahead of our competitors.”
The super trawlers (ST192) – equipped with both processing, packaging, and freezing facilities – are 108 metres long and 21 metres wide.
When fully functional a 150-man crew can catch up to 60,000 tonnes of fish annually.
Thanks to the onboard facilities, the fish does not have to be frozen first and then thawed and processed on land. Instead, RFC can process, package, and freeze the products at sea, making them ready for consumers before reaching shore.
Carsoe said the new agreement will secure work for its 350 employees, both in and outside Denmark.
In the last fiscal year, it achieved net sales of DKK 525 million ($80.1 million), and had a bottom line of just over DKK 21 million ($3.2 million).
