Wanchese Argentina, a subsidiary of Wanchese Fish Company, has named its new Argentine scallop vessel Erin Bruce II at a ceremony in Vigo, Spain.
Some 50.5 metres in length and 12 wide, Erin Bruce II becomes the biggest factory freezer trawler newbuild in the Argentine fishery and the first to be constructed specifically for the scallop fishery. It is the second vessel in the Argentine fleet to be built under the Wanchese renewal plan.
The vessel will set sail for Argentina shortly and is expected to be in operation in Argentine waters in the first-quarter of the 2024 season.
Wanchese Fish Company is a division of Cooke Seafood USA. Seafood harvester, processor and distributor Wanchese is capable of harvesting over 6,000 tonnes of seafood products each year.
“This new vessel is designed to be fuel efficient, offer modern accommodations for the crew, and leverage new technology and equipment to find new efficiencies in our harvesting and processing,” Cooke Seafood USA CEO Ross Butler said. “We are excited to welcome the Erin Bruce II to our fleet and we will continue to replace and modify vessels in the coming years as part of our ongoing renewal plan.”
1978-built Erin Bruce was the first and pioneer vessel in the Argentine scallop fleet. The new vessel, built by Astilleros Armon shipyard in Spain, will honour the name and continue the legacy of the original.
The new vessel has a carrying capacity of 400 cubic metres and can accommodate up to 37 crew members.
A number of new features were added during construction that will allow Wanchese to exceed regulatory standards and better meet the growing needs of customers, including grading machine; processing electronics; electronic winches and autotrawl; radars, echo sounders and trawling sensors in doors and nets.
Patagonian scallops will be harvested year-round and frozen-at-sea within an hour of harvest to ensure maximum freshness.
The Argentine scallop fishery is fully-certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC).
