Legal dispute in March 2026 revives controversy surrounding the seized vessel Vladivostok 2000, once tied to fugitive seafood magnate Dmitry Dremlyuga, after its controversial sale and scrapping in India.
A new round of arbitration proceedings in March 2026 has placed the controversial floating base “Vladivostok 2000” back at the center of a multimillion-dollar legal dispute in Russia’s Far East.
The case involves a claim by the Federal State Unitary Enterprise Directorate for Investment Activities (DID) against the Territorial Administration of the Federal Agency for State Property Management (Rosimushchestvo) in Primorsky Krai. According to court filings, the dispute concerns approximately 268 million rubles (about $3.0 million) in damages related to the storage and maintenance of the massive vessel.
The Vladivostock 2000. Photo: Rosimushchestvo
Dispute Over Storage Costs
The conflict dates back to April 5, 2024, when DID signed an agreement to store and maintain the floating base. Under Russian regulations, the company was responsible for ensuring the vessel’s seaworthiness, safe berthing, continuous watchkeeping, maintenance of mechanical systems, environmental compliance, and emergency equipment.
To carry out these duties, DID contracted the state enterprise “National Fishery Resources” (NatSrybresurs). The maintenance costs were substantial—about 1,876,632 rubles per day (roughly $20,850), or more than 56 million rubles per month (around $622,000).
When the contract expired, DID requested that Rosimushchestvo accept the vessel back. The agency refused, citing insufficient technical and financial capacity and uncertainty over the ship’s legal status. As a result, DID claims it had to extend expensive maintenance agreements, creating financial losses.
Both the first-instance court and the appellate court sided with DID, ordering Rosimushchestvo to pay:
224,312,474.80 rubles (about $2.49 million) in damages
1,810,900 rubles (around $20,000) for storage fees
41,132,053.39 rubles (about $457,000) in interest
200,000 rubles (about $2,200) in legal costs
The case is now under review by the Arbitration Court of the Far Eastern District.
A separate earlier lawsuit also required Rosimushchestvo to pay 3.3 million rubles (about $36,700) to JSC Vladivostok Sea Fishing Port, which had provided berthing services for the vessel.
From State Asset to Scrap Yard
The dispute stems from the complicated legal history of the ship. The Vladivostok 2000, considered the largest floating fish processing plant in the world, became state property after authorities targeted companies linked to Primorsky businessman Dmitry Dremlyuga.
Originally built in 1980 in Yokohama, Japan, as an oil tanker
In 2023, Russian prosecutors seized assets worth 4.3 billion rubles (about $47.8 million) from companies associated with Dremlyuga, alleging illegal harvesting of marine biological resources under invalid quota agreements. Authorities estimated the damage to the state at around 4 billion rubles (about $44 million).
Originally built in 1980 in Yokohama, Japan, as an oil tanker, the vessel was later converted into a floating fish factory capable of processing up to 2,000 tons of fish per day. Measuring 228.6 meters in length, 32.2 meters in width, and 19 meters in height, the ship could reach speeds of 15 knots.
In March 2024, Rosimushchestvo announced plans to sell the vessel, which had been moored in Vladivostok after its transfer into state ownership.
The ship's story in video
Auction and Dramatic Price Collapse
The auction process proved difficult. The vessel failed to sell three times as the price dropped dramatically:
1.48 billion rubles (about $16.4 million) — second attempt
845.9 million rubles (about $9.4 million) — third attempt
Only on the fourth attempt in July 2024 did a buyer emerge. The ship sold for 274.4 million rubles (about $3.05 million) to AktivBiznesKonsalt, a debt-collection company linked to Sberbank.
Possibly the last available photo of the ship before it was moved to India for scrapping
Industry experts noted that floating processing bases have become economically impractical in the Russian Far East, where there are too few fishing vessels capable of supplying them with catch.
Final Voyage to India
After the sale, the vessel was renamed “DIVO” and re-registered under the Comoros Islands flag. In August 2024, it departed Vladivostok, and by October 2024 it arrived at the massive ship-breaking yard in Alang, India, one of the world’s largest ship graveyards.
The ship's final destination in India's scrapyard
There, thousands of workers dismantle decommissioned ships by hand along what is often called the “coast of the dead.”
Despite the vessel’s final destination, the legal and financial disputes connected to its seizure, storage, and sale continue to unfold in Russian courts—making Vladivostok 2000 a symbol of both the region’s turbulent fishing industry and the lingering consequences of its high-profile nationalization cases.