Ålesund, Norway-headquartered Bluewild is expanding its fleet with a new factory trawler that has been designed by Ulstein Design & Solutions AS.
The fishing company advises that gentle handling of the catch and the lowest possible energy consumption have been important elements in the design development.
Called Ecofive, the trawler will be built to the new design Ulstein FX101 at Westcon Yards in Ølensvåg, Norway.
Ulstein confirmed that the 73.2-metre vessel will be equipped for up to 30 people. It will have a net cargo space of approximately 2,000 cubic metres and be fitted with quadruple and pelagic trawls.
A system for catch reception and storage has been developed by Ulstein that will, as far as possible, keep the catch alive until processing.
By taking the catch directly from the sea and putting it into separate tanks, the loss of quality during hauling and storage in dry receiving bins will be avoided, and the factory can work more steadily at its optimum capacity, it said.
Meanwhile, Ecofive’s propulsion system will support fuel savings of at least 25% per kilo of fish product produced compared to a conventional power system. In some operations, together with other energy-saving measures onboard, this figure can exceed 40%, said Ulstein.
Bluewild’s current fleet consists of the trawlers Ishavet (built in 2013) and Langenes (built in 1986), with the latter to be replaced by the new vessel.
