With a vice-like handshake Captain Peter Fadeev, a tough fisherman from Murmansk welcomed me aboard the Russian transport ship Kildin when she arrived unexpectedly for bunkers earlier this week. Peter remembered meeting me back in 1980 when he last visited Falmouth on a fish factory ship.
Black coffee, black bread, rubbery cheese and the ubiquitous Russian salami presented to the pilot on all Russian ships arrived from below decks as we talked during our passage into port.
Battered by heavy seas in the Bay of Biscay, the rust-stained Kildin, a Raduzhnyy class ship, arrived from the Portuguese port of Viana do Castelo, where 300 tonnes of Cod had been discharged. The town has important historical links from the time when Portuguese fishing fleets went to Newfoundland in search of Cod. Portugal imports 56 per cent of its Cod from Russia much of it being dried and salted to make the world famous Bacalhau.
Peter said the Cod was loaded from larger mother ships in the Barents Sea. Bunkering completed Kildin sailed again for the inhospitable waters of the Barents Sea to load more fish destined for Portugal.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article