Østerfjord — the most technological crab vessel Renat Besolov worked on
The Østerfjord (IMO 9892236) is the most modern and technological vessel in the career of Renat Besolov, founder of the BFISHERMAN project: a Norwegian longliner-seiner built in 2021, converted for snow crab fishing.
A hybrid propulsion system, a moonpool for fishing in any weather and an automated factory make the Østerfjord one of the most technological crab vessels in the world.
In the 2026 season Renat Besolov worked a single voyage of 26 days here in the Barents Sea — a return to the fishery after years of building BFISHERMAN.
Renat Besolov — signing on the Norwegian crab vessel Østerfjord, the 2026 season.
01The vessel’s history
The Østerfjord is the most modern and technological of all the vessels Renat Besolov worked on. She is a Norwegian longliner-seiner, built in 2021 at the Tersan shipyard in Yalova, Turkey, to the Norwegian Marin Teknikk MT1115 design.
She carries the registration mark VL-101-AV, IMO number 9892236 and call sign LGDO, sails under the Norwegian flag and is classed by DNV. The vessel is 67 metres long and 14.6 metres wide, with a hybrid propulsion system, a 2560 kW Bergen Diesel main engine, a 500 kW battery and a moonpool for fishing in difficult weather.
Later the owning company Østerfjord AS acquired the crab vessel Sea Hunter with its snow crab quotas and transferred them to the Østerfjord, replacing part of the fishing gear with a crab factory. In the 2026 season Renat Besolov worked here. A detailed log is below.
02Main specifications
Figures are given per marine registries (IMO 9892236, Tersan shipyard, Marin Teknikk MT1115 design). Renat Besolov worked aboard the Østerfjord as a deckhand (Fisherman) in the snow crab fishery.
Vessel type
Longliner-seiner → crab vessel
Fishing method
Crab pots + factory (formerly longline and Danish seine)
IMO number
9892236
Call sign
LGDO
Registration mark
VL-101-AV
Year built
2021 (delivered January 2022)
Shipyard
Tersan Shipyard, Yalova, Turkey (yard no 1098)
Design
Marin Teknikk MT1115
Length (LOA)
67 m
Beam
14.6 m
Depth
5.9 m
Gross tonnage (GT)
2985
Net tonnage (NT)
895
Deadweight
1002 t
Propulsion
Hybrid: diesel-mechanical / diesel-electric / electric
Main engine
2560 kW Bergen Diesel + 500 kW battery
Features
Moonpool; autoline ~76,000 hooks
Crew
23 people
Class
DNV
Owner
Østerfjord AS (Torangsvåg, Austevoll)
Product brand
Norwegian Frozen at Sea
Captain
Svein Ove Myrbø
Flag
Norway
03What Renat Besolov did aboard
On the Østerfjord Renat Besolov worked as a deckhand (Fisherman) in the snow crab fishery: setting and hauling crab pots, sorting crab, servicing equipment and working on the automated factory.
The level of automation here is on another scale: some processes that on other vessels require constant human presence on deck are carried out from the moonpool and internal production spaces. Work is organised by two deck teams and two factory teams on a 6-on, 6-off schedule.
Finding vessels and employers is helped by the BFISHERMAN database, and current vacancies and crewing are handled through BFISHERMAN. Below is the log of Renat Besolov’s voyage aboard the Østerfjord.
Voyage
Departed
Port out
Returned
Port in
Days
1
31.01.2026
Tromsø
26.02.2026
Båtsfjord
26
Total for the vessel: 26 days aboard.
04What the vessel did
The Østerfjord was originally built to fish whitefish with longline and Danish seine in northern waters. After conversion she fishes snow crab in the Barents Sea, freezing the catch at sea under the brand Norwegian Frozen at Sea.
The crab is hauled in pots, sorted alive and processed on the automated factory: boxes are automatically formed, labelled and run along the conveyor, the finished product is distributed onto pallets and sent to the hold by forklift.
All the technical skills of deck work — knots, pots, processing the crab — are gathered in the main BFISHERMAN course. There is no getting onto the fishery without maritime STCW certificates, and STSP/SIPS certification is desirable.
05Work and life on board
Crew comfort on the Østerfjord is at the level of the best modern vessels: modern cabins, heated floors, spacious living quarters and everything needed for long work in the Arctic.
The organisation of work is thought out to the smallest detail: two deck teams and two factory teams relieve one another on a 6-on, 6-off schedule, keeping work continuous 24/7. Linen, household chemicals and work clothing are issued on the vessel.
In Renat’s words, the Østerfjord is one of the most comfortable and technologically equipped crab vessels in the world: larger vessels exist, but for the combination of automation, efficiency, comfort and thoughtfulness she has almost no rivals.
06Notable facts
The most technological vessel of his career. A hybrid propulsion system, a 2560 kW Bergen Diesel main engine and a 500 kW battery.
Built in Turkey. Tersan shipyard, Yalova; Marin Teknikk MT1115 design; at delivery the world’s largest longliner-seiner.
Moonpool. An opening in the hull allows fishing even in bad weather, so some work is done away from the open deck.
Quotas from the Sea Hunter. To switch to snow crab, the company bought the crab vessel Sea Hunter with crab rights and transferred the quotas to the Østerfjord, installing a crab factory.
Norwegian press. A report in Marsteinen on the Østerfjord’s first snow-crab voyage appeared with photographs by Renat Besolov.
The latest vessel of the archive. The Østerfjord season of 2026 is the sixth and newest vessel in Renat’s Maritime Archive.
07The vessel’s role in Renat Besolov’s career
The Østerfjord is the latest chapter so far of Renat Besolov’s Maritime Archive and a glimpse of the future of the crab fleet: a hybrid vessel with a moonpool and an automated factory, built to the latest technology.
The experience of all the vessels — from the first Polaris to the technological Østerfjord — became the foundation of the educational project BFISHERMAN, where Renat teaches applicants to find work in Norway’s fishing and crab industry independently.
Renat’s maritime path is also linked to the maritime certification Maricert. The full list of vessels is in the Maritime Archive.
Want the same — to work on a crab boat in Norway? Renat Besolov walked this path himself and gathered it in the BFISHERMAN project.
08The Østerfjord through Renat Besolov’s eyes
The Østerfjord through Renat Besolov’s own eyes — a personal photo archive from aboard the most technological Norwegian crab vessel: the deck and pots, snow crab, the moonpool and the automated factory, cabins, galley and crew.
Renat Besolov — signing on the Norwegian crab vessel Østerfjord, 2026 season.
The first impression was simple: the Østerfjord is huge, modern and built like a flagship of the Norwegian fishing fleet.
Renat Besolov working on the deck of the crab vessel Østerfjord.
Deck work happens among constant vessel noise, factory lines, hydraulics and protective equipment.
Transferring cargo at sea.
A neighbouring crab vessel delivered missing spare parts so the freezing system could start up correctly.
Renat Besolov (right) and the crew of the Østerfjord.
Deck photos from such voyages remember not only the vessel, but the crew who shared the work.
The crew of the crab vessel Østerfjord at dinner.
The mess room shows Norwegian fleet culture: officers, mechanics, factory crew and newcomers sit at one table.
Renat Besolov with the crew of the crab vessel Østerfjord.
At the start of a season the whole vessel works as one team to prepare and set the pot lines.
Jasmina Nicolina — a member of the crew of the crab vessel Østerfjord.
The archive shows the crew as part of the working life of the vessel, not as staged portraits.
Renat Besolov catching crab on the Østerfjord.
The Østerfjord’s crab season combined deck work, sorting and factory processes around the clock.
Photo: Renat Besolov, crab fisherman.
The page keeps Renat’s first-person archive from the 2026 snow-crab voyage.
Photo: Renat Besolov, boatswain.
The most responsible deck positions coordinate pots, ropes, equipment and radio contact with the bridge.
Photo: Renat Besolov. Crab fisherman on the Østerfjord.
The enclosed working zone protects the crew from weather while keeping the fishing process active.
Tina — the cook’s assistant and steward on the crab vessel Østerfjord.
Cleanliness, meals and order in the living spaces are part of why modern vessels feel different.
The mess room aboard the Østerfjord.
Food, conversation and rest are central to life during a long Arctic voyage.
Renat Besolov in the crew changing room of the crab vessel Østerfjord.
Renat documented the vessel with a professional camera, after approval from the captain and company.
The interior of the living quarters of the crab vessel Østerfjord.
The interior felt closer to a good hotel than to the old image of a cramped fishing vessel.
The Østerfjord’s moonpool — for fishing in any weather.
The moonpool is one of the technologies that makes the vessel safer and more protected in bad weather.
Renat Besolov preparing crab pots for setting.
Pot work remains physical and dynamic even on a highly automated vessel.
A forklift in the Østerfjord’s hold: pallets of finished product.
The electric forklift moves finished pallets and helps balance the load in the hold.
The second engineer of the Østerfjord servicing the equipment.
On a new vessel, prevention and maintenance are still constant work for the engineering team.
Photo: Renat Besolov. Deck leader on the Østerfjord.
The deck leader handles the most responsible operations and coordinates directly with the captain.
Renat Besolov’s cabin aboard the crab vessel Østerfjord.
The cabin is technically for two people, but opposite watches mean each seaman is often alone there.
The rest room aboard the crab vessel Østerfjord.
Rest spaces matter during a 6-on, 6-off schedule and weeks in the Barents Sea.
Renat Besolov’s locker for working gear on the crab vessel.
The changing room separates dirty deck gear from clean living spaces and keeps the vessel comfortable.
Lowering the rescue boat.
Rescue boats are part of daily readiness and can also support transfers between vessels.
Sorting snow crab aboard the Østerfjord.
The crab is protected from freezing before processing so quality and commercial value are preserved.
Renat Besolov’s desk. A cabin aboard the Østerfjord.
The cabin desk holds the laptop, phone and cameras used to document the voyage.
The chief engineer of the Østerfjord.
A good chief engineer keeps engines, hydraulics, refrigeration, electronics and water systems alive at sea.
Renat Besolov on a voyage aboard the Østerfjord; crab pots in the background.
Even if gear is missing on arrival, the crew and vessel usually help a newcomer prepare for work.
The crew’s rest room on the Østerfjord.
Shared rest rooms are part of the modern standard of crew comfort.
The cook aboard the Østerfjord.
The galley is one of the places where a vessel’s care for the crew becomes most visible.
The laundry aboard the Østerfjord.
Laundry and drying spaces keep work gear and living spaces separated during long voyages.
The deck team of the Østerfjord.
The deck team works around pots, conveyors, safety gear and Arctic weather.
The interior of the crab vessel Østerfjord.
The vessel interior shows the design attention given to modern Norwegian crew spaces.
The buffet aboard the crab vessel Østerfjord.
Good food and open access to drinks help the crew recover between watches.
Dinner aboard the Norwegian crab vessel Østerfjord.
Meals gather the crew across positions and nationalities.
The automated factory aboard the Østerfjord.
The factory forms, labels, moves and stores product with a high level of automation.
Renat Besolov during the 2026 season on the Østerfjord, the Barents Sea.
The final image marks the newest vessel in the current Maritime Archive.
09Frequently asked questions
What type of vessel is the Østerfjord?
A modern longliner-seiner converted for snow crab fishing with a crab factory on board; one of the most technological crab vessels in the world.
When did Renat Besolov work on the Østerfjord?
In the 2026 season — a single voyage of 26 days, from January 31 to February 26, 2026.
What position did Renat Besolov hold?
A deckhand (Fisherman) in the snow crab fishery.
What is the Østerfjord’s IMO number?
The IMO number is 9892236, call sign LGDO, registration mark VL-101-AV.
Where and when was the vessel built?
In 2021 at the Tersan shipyard in Yalova, Turkey, to the Marin Teknikk MT1115 design; delivered in January 2022.
Who is the captain of the Østerfjord?
Svein Ove Myrbø.
How large is the vessel?
Length 67 m, beam 14.6 m, gross tonnage 2985, crew of 23.
What is a moonpool?
An opening in the hull through which fishing can continue even in bad weather.
Why did the vessel switch to snow crab?
The company bought the crab vessel Sea Hunter with crab quotas and transferred them to the Østerfjord, installing a crab factory.
What propulsion does the Østerfjord have?
Hybrid: diesel-mechanical, diesel-electric and pure electric; a 2560 kW Bergen Diesel main engine and a 500 kW battery.
How is the crew’s work organised?
Two deck teams and two factory teams on a 6-on, 6-off schedule; deck and factory run around the clock.
Where did the vessel fish?
For snow crab in the Barents Sea; originally whitefish with longline and Danish seine.
Under what brand is the product sold?
Norwegian Frozen at Sea — crab frozen at sea right after the catch.
Where can you learn to work on a crab boat in Norway?
Renat’s path and skills are gathered in BFISHERMAN: where to start, a catalogue of vessels, certificates, an employer database and crewings.
10Related materials
Renat Besolov’s maritime career spans several vessels of the Norwegian crab and fishing fleet. The full Maritime Archive — the vessels he worked on:
