Roman Abramovich's associates invested in pollock and herring production in Sakhalin

These are the most popular and profitable types of fishing in the Far East.
12.02.2018
Vedomosti
Origin source
Firm Dalneye February 6 became the owner of 25% of the South-Sakhalin fishing company Poronai, according to the USRLE. "Far" belongs to Efim Malkin (80%) and Irina Panchenko (20%). The same name is given to the members of the team of the billionaire Roman Abramovich. This they are, says their friend.

Malkin and Panchenko worked at Sibneft when its main owner was Abramovich, and when he worked as the governor of the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Panchenko became his deputy, Malkin also represented the region in the Federation Council. They also own 25% of the agricultural holding Prodo, the rest - from one of Abramovich's colleagues, Andrei Gorodilov. Representative of the investment company Millhouse Abramovich declined to comment: the fish deal has no relation to it. "Far" - their own project Panchenko and Malkin, assures their friend.

Poronai owns quotas for the extraction of 43,000 tons per year of pollock and about 13,000 tons of herring in the Far Eastern fisheries basin for 2018, according to Rosrybolovstvo. The total allowable catch of Alaska Pollock is estimated at 1.8 million tons. It turns out that the share of "Poronaya" in the pollock market is about 2.5%, while the market leaders, for example, the Russian Fishing Company (RRPK) - about 12%.

Prior to the February changes, "Poronai" with a net profit of 1.4 billion rubles. for 2016, according to SPARK-Interfax, belonged to ZAO Sakhalin Island and Sakhalinrybaksoyuz PA. Both companies are controlled by the former member of the Federation Council from the Sakhalin region Alexander Verkhovsky, follows from the documents of his bank "Iturup" and "SPARK-Interfax". Verkhovsky owns one of the largest fish-producing companies in Russia - Gidrostroi. Annually, according to its own data, it catches about 200 000 tons of fish.

"Sakhalin Island" remains the owner of 75% "Pornaya". True, this stake is pledged to Dalniy before full execution of its obligations under the pledge agreement and an agreement on the granting of an option to conclude a share purchase and sale agreement, the Unified State Register of Legal Entities said.

Such a wording may mean the completion of the transaction in several stages, suggests the partner of the A2 law firm Mikhail Aleksandrov: first Dalner received a blocking stake, and in the future can claim the remaining securities.

For Malkin and Panchenko, this is a portfolio investment, there is no question of buying the whole company, a person close to investors assured. Portfolio investment in fishing, and especially in a non-public company - a rare phenomenon, says analyst of BCS Global Markets Marat Ibragimov. The new investor could provide financing, having received a share and an option for this as a guarantee of return on investment, the expert says.

Pacific herring and pollock are the main types of commercial fishes in the Far East, Sergei Nesbo, Deputy Director of the NoraBO Managing Company, recalls. Pacific herring, after imposing restrictions on fish imports from the EU, Norway and Iceland, has become very popular in the European part of Russia: imports have declined and the herring that Russia produces in the Atlantic has become scarce. Therefore, most of the Far Eastern herring is sold in Russia, he explains. The pollock is the most popular fish in the world, the spokesman for the RRPK notes, and about half of the world's catch falls on Russia: pollock - high-quality and inexpensive white fish. The profitability of pollock fishing is relatively low - 40-45%, depending on current prices, the spokesman for the RRPK says. But this business is profitable precisely due to large sales in physical terms, Sennikov emphasizes.

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