NEW SEINERS FOR PRIMORSKY KRAI

Far Eastern Shipbuilding Leasing Company was recently set up in Primorsky Krai.

Chairman of its board and director general became, respectively, Boris Perminov, adviser to Primorsky Krai governor, and Alexander Ivanyuta. The purpose of the new company is fishing and merchant fleet construction. According to the region's shipbuilding and fleet renovation programme, foremost attention should be given to assembly and launching of up-to-date small fish catchers of RS-450 type.

A pilot project is handled by Zvezda yard in Bolshoi Kamen. The first RS-40 laid there will have 27.5 m in length, 6 m in beam, speed of 10 knots and be intended for autonomous sailing. It is equipped with a state-of-the-art propulsion plant, navigation instruments, radio electronic equipment, fishing gear, refrigerated spaces for catch storage. Crew number is 8. The cost of one catcher is 23 million rubles with payback period of up to 4 years.

Initial plans envisage construction of 12 RS-450 vessels. Apart from Zvezda, other possible participants in this project are Dalzavod, Vostochnaya Verf, yard in Slavyanka and other local companies. Further plans call for construction of up to 50 up-to-date seiners. - Yevgeny ITAROV.

OIL AND GAS CONSORTIUM SET UP IN FAR EAST

"Regional authorities and research institutions should coordinate their efforts to elaborate a development programme for the Far East's oil and gas complesx," declared Alexander Bekker, chairman of the coordinating council of the Far Eastern Bidders' Association of Sakhalin Projects, at its meeting in Khabarovsk.

The association was set up in January 2001 and backed by presidential envoy in Russian Far East Konstantin Pulikovsky. Its members from Khabarovsky Krai are 4 companies, including Komsomolsky hoisting equipment plant and OAO Amurmetal. Seven local companies took part in Sakhalin oil and gas offshore projects in 2003 and executed 6 billion rubles worth of works.

Also in 2003, a concern of Sakhalin project bidders with 24 member companies and organizations was set up in Khabarovsky Krai. A similar organization was established in Primorsky Krai as well.

"While we are split, we lose orders," said Zvezda director general Yury Shulgan and noted that Far Eastern industrial companies have a great potential. Many attendees expressed their opinion that time has come for joint actions.

The main outcome of the association's meeting is a decision to establish the Far East Oil and Gas Consortium. A working group set up specially for this purpose will develop, in conjunction with specialists of presidential envoy's office, a draft charter, structure and strategy for the consortium. - Yury ROGOV.

PRINCE ANDREW WILL VISIT SAKHALIN AND CHINA

Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, will visit Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk on 26-29 April.

Prince Andrew is the special envoy of the United Kingdom for international trade and investment. As the regional administration's press service informed, he will meet with Gov. Ivan Malakhov on 28 April and in the evening of the same day be invited by the governor to a dinner in Santa Hotel.

During his stay on the island, Prince Andrew will visit the British Centre in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, headquarters of Sakhalin Energy, a number of for-profit businesses and industrial companies operating in the oil and gas sector. His Far Eastern itinerary also includes a trip to China. - Yulia PROKHOROVA.

POLLACK FISHERY IN SEA OF OKHOTSK COMING TO END

"Contrary to pessimistic forecasts, Primorye fishermen are successfully completing Alaska pollack fishery," declared Vladimir Leonov, head of the regional administration's fisheries department.

By his words, fishing operations are completed in Kamchatka-Kurile and West-Kamchatka sub-zones where fishermen have used practically all quotas. The outstanding remainder is 270 tons and 500 tons respectively. This remainder will be used during the year as by-catch to other aquatic biological resources.

In the meantime, fishing operations continue in North-Okhotsk sub-zone. As of 10 April, three days prior to the termination of permitted fishing period, the remaining quota is 12,000 of pollack with a daily catch of up to 3,000 tons. This remainder will also be used as by-catch during herring season. At present, there is a total of about 60 middle- and large-size fishing vessels in the Sea of Okhotsk, says spokesman for Primorsky Krai administration. - Yevgeny ITAROV.

RUSSIA WILLING TO JOIN ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK

Such a statement was made by the session of the ad hoc team for financial partnership with Asia Pacific of the Russian National Committee for Pacific Economic Cooperation (RNCPEC).

"Finalization of the financial system and Russia's presence in the international club, in particular, in the Asian Development Bank (ABR) is a foremost priority for the current stage of Russia's economic development," declared Pavel Minakir, director of the Economic Research Institute, at a closing press conference.

The ad hoc team's resolution states: "Given the experience gained by Khabarovsky Krai in attracting financial resources from Asia Pacific nations to development of the region's economy, work should be continued to explore possibilities for establishing, in conjunction with Asia Pacific organizations, a fund or some other financial institution for money lending to medium and small business." The session also decided to send a letter to RNCPEC leaders requesting them to appeal to the Russian government regarding more active negotiations on Russia's entry to the Asian Development Bank.

As ad hoc team leader Dmitry Titov, president of the All-Russian Bank of Regions Development, stressed, costs associated with Russia's entry to ABR amount to $10-11 million minimum but membership in ABR will make Russian companies eligible for tenders on projects in energy industry, oil production and processing, steel industry, transport and irrigation. - Yulia PROKHOROVA.