Samherji sells prolific fishing vessel to Russian operator

Icelandic seafood company Samherji hf has sold its multi-fishing vessel Kristina EA to Russia after 10 years of ownership. 

The 105-meter, 7,000-metric-ton (MT) Kristina EA was built in Spain in 1994 and became the largest ship in the Icelandic fishing fleet on arrival in the country in May 2005 under the name of Engey RE-1

Samherji purchased the vessel from HB Grandi in 2007 and gave it the name Kristina EA. It did not immediately explain the reason for the sale.

On its last fishing trip, Kristina landed 2,180 MT of mackerel in Hafnarfjörður after six days of fishing. This catch achieved an estimated value of ISK 300 million (USD 2.8 million, EUR 2.4 million), making it the vessel’s best fishing trip under Samherji ownership.

"It can be stated that Kristina ended her career with us at her very peak," said Arngrímur Brynjólfsson, skipper of Kristina. "Kristina is a large and roomy vessel of excellent seaworthiness, with first-class crew and processing facilities. So we can safely say that you don’t really get many better ships than this one. There is certainly every reason to miss Kristina, but we must accept that the time for change has come." 

Kristina EA is the sixth in a line of sister vessels purchased by a Russian fishing vessel operator. 

It will now fish Alaska pollock in the Bering Sea, and faces a two-month journey to its new grounds – sailing from Alesund across the Atlantic through the Panama Canal and the Pacific.

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