The Havyard Group has been awarded the contract to design and build a new purse seiner/trawler for shipping company, Smaragd.
It will be designed by Havyard in Fosnavåg, constructed at Havyard's shipyard in Leirvik in Sogn, Norway and is due to be delivered to the Fosnavåg based shipping company in April 2015.
This will be Smaragd’s sixth boat and third newbuild. Petter Geir Smådal, the captain and one of the Smaragd owners, said: “Together with Havyard we have developed what we obviously feel is our best fishing boat so far.”
One of the chief requirements for Smaragd was a built-in seine bin. This improves working conditions for the crew and this arrangement will simplify seine handling in bad weather conditions.
The shipping company also wanted to close the shelter deck, another feature that will contribute towards improved working conditions for crew, as well as simplifying cleaning.
In addition to being able to pump fish from the seine amidships, the vessel is going to be fitted out for pumping from the stern so that the trawl net can be kept at stern.
The vessel will also be kitted out for research missions and will be fitted out with extra laboratory and cabin facilities.
Geir Johan Bakke, CEO of Havyard Group said: “Much of the technology on offshore vessels is developed with experience from fisheries and the thinking of fishermen force us to think afresh when constructing vessels for them.”
Mr Smådal of Smaragd, who is also the Chairman of Aalesund Shipping Association, added that the new vessel is needed because it’s important to move with the times. “I am sure we could have continued fishing with our current boat for many years but we are thinking long-term and we then need a good and modern vessel”, he said.
