In Kirkenes, a Russian trawler is on dry land at the Kimek shipyard. What will happen to the boat in the future is still highly uncertain. The Kimek shipyard applied this week for a dispensation to complete the work on the Russian trawler, but at the same time the Kirkenes company is now threatening to dismiss all around 80 employees on 31 May. The company’s board will make a final decision on 30 May. Before then, they have given the Ministry of Foreign Affairs time to answer two questions: Get permission to complete the two Russian boats they have in for repair. One of them is “Saami”, which has been brought ashore. The government approves a scheme with salary compensation, similar to the one during the pandemic, in order to be able to restructure the company without having to resort to dismissal. Director Greger Mannsverk at Kimek says the company does not have enough money to pay the employees in the long term without them having any work to do. – Smoke it here and there could be 500-600 jobs in the immediate area, says Mannsverk, who believes that the foundations of Sør-Varanger will disappear if they have to shut down operations. The company makes a living by repairing Russian vessels, but that work has therefore stopped completely. Mannsverk also says that there has been no dialogue between them and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs after the ministry came up with what some in Kirkenes have perceived as a tightening. – We are waiting for information Work on the boat “Saami” was stopped almost two weeks ago when the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) issued a reminder about how the sanctions rules against Russia should be understood. The crew is called the same as the boat, and they are now hoping to get a dispensation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs so that the boat can be fully repaired. – We are waiting for a message from the Norwegian government. We are in the process of finding out how this can be solved, says Sergej Tsyganov who is director of Saami. Sergej Tsyganov is director of the fishing boat owner company Saami, which owns the trawler that is on shore in Kirkenes. He hopes that Kimek can continue to keep the same number of Russian fishing vessels, without breaking the rules. Photo: Gunnar Sætra / news Reiarlaget has collaborated with Kimek for approximately 30 years, and the director is very satisfied with the work being carried out at the yard. – This time it is an emergency repair, because the rudder and propeller were faulty, says Tsyganov. He refers to international conventions on safety at sea, and that all ports are obliged to accept vessels in distress at sea. At the same time, the shipyard also has an obligation to complete the repairs that have been started. How long the boat will remain here is uncertain. Photo: Gunnar Sætra / news Not allowed to fish the cod quota The director trusts that the Norwegian authorities will let Kimek complete the work they have started. Now it is most important for them to start fishing in the Barents Sea, because they still have a large part of the quota left. – It is about 6,000 tonnes of cod. In addition, “Saami” can fish well over 1,000 tonnes of shrimp. Without repair, it can end up with big losses for the owner team. – The company may simply not survive, says the director. Greger Mannsverk in Kimek may be forced to dismiss all its employees. He believes it is now up to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs whether at least 80 jobs in Kirkenes will be lost. Photo: Kristina Kalinina / news High dispensation threshold The Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ section for export control will process the dispensation application. The press department in the ministry writes in an e-mail to news that they cannot deal with individual cases in the media and refers to the press release from 12 May. It states, among other things, that exceptions to the sanctioning rules may be granted: “This may be an urgent case where professional assistance is strictly necessary to safeguard the ship’s technical, operational or environmental safety. And “At the same time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs underlines that there is a high threshold for granting exemptions from the sanctions rules.” The shipyard in Kirkenes claims to have notified the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that they violated the sanctions imposed on Russia. It was not until two months later that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reacted. Kimek makes a living by repairing Russian boats. Here from an earlier occasion. Photo: Kristina Kalinina / news Updated guidelines in mid-May The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reminded on 12 May what are the current regulations for shipyard services at port calls. The purpose of the exemption for fishing vessels from the port ban in Båtsfjord, Tromsø and Kirkenes is to review the sustainable fisheries cooperation between Norway and Russia. This meant that Russian fishing vessels can do the following in the three ports: Change crews Bunker (without other service restrictions) Unload (provided that what is to be unloaded does not contravene the import ban) Provisions Go through inspection Kimek is the cornerstone company in Kirkenes, and highly visible in the cityscape. Photo: Kristina Kalinina / news
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Russian fishing boat is stuck on land in Norway – news Troms and Finnmark
