Iceland’s HB Grandi has decided on the names of the five new fishing vessels it is having built at the Turkish Shipyard, Celiktrans Deniz Ltd.
The two pelagic vessels and three fresher trawlers will be delivered between 2015 and 2017 and the first pelagic vessel being delivered in the first half of next year will be named Venus under an NS registration. Its sister vessel is due for completion later on in 2015 and will be called Víkingur AK.
The order for the three wetfish trawlers was signed only this month and delivery of the first ship, to be called Engey RE, is planned for May 2016.
Akurey AK will follow in late 2016 and the third, Videy RE, will be completed in spring 2017.
These trawlers will replace three current wetfish trawlers, Ásbjörn RE, Ottó N. Þorláksson RE and Sturlaugur H. Böðvarsson AK.
HB Grandi said its new ships will be more economical and will offer more operational security, and lower fuel and maintenance costs.
The company was recently recognised as ‘Outstanding Icelandic Processor’ of the year at Mercator Media's Icelandic Fisheries Exhibition.
As well as investing a lot of money in new vessels to keep ahead of the game, marketing manager, Brynjólfur Eyjólfsson, said that the old adage that strength comes from knowledge certainly applies to the Icleandic seafood industry.
The company has placed a great deal of emphasis on training and education for its processing workforce and it said that this initiative has paid dividends in working practices and pay grade increases.
