A dedicated pelagic trawler, designed to operate on much the same lines as the vessel it replaces, new Altaire carries one of the Shetland fleet’s famous names

There’s been a long series of pelagic vessels sailing from Shetland under the Altaire name, with the last few built at Norwegian yards. However, this time around, the Altaire Fishing Company opted to build at Karstensens in Skagen, with the new vessel built to the yard’s own design. According to Kent Damgaard at Karstensens Skibsværft, there has been a longstanding working relationship between the yard and the owners of Altaire, which has been a regular caller at the Skagen yard for repairs and maintenance.

Altaire Fishing Company is owned by Interfish, headed by Jan Colam, in partnership with skipper Chris Duncan and chief engineer Ivan Reid.