Pacific Explorer is a commercial trawler owned by Forty South Ltd in Napier NZ.
It has recently been bought form Peru and refitted in Napier for fishing in New Zealand waters. The target for the refit was to optimise the handling of the catch and get maximum possible storage in order to land highest possible quality.
The layout is straight forward, with dispatch of the catch in a stainless steel container placed on the after part of the main deck. From here, the fish is dispensed via a conveyor belt for gutting and heading. It is then transported straight to the refrigerated fish hold where it is sorted with the help of a sophisticated conveyor system. The catch is then put into boxes and iced. This is produced onboard with saltwater.
Made in Sweden
The hold has a capacity of approximately 165 cubic metres, is lined with aluminium and is refrigerated with an innovative, patented system "Searef S-3000" produced in Sweden. This is a secondary system and consists of a very compact, easily-installed, prefabricated refrigeration unit, which has been placed in a separate refrigeration room on top of the hold.
The machinery for the ice production is also placed in the same room. Several other positions for the refrigeration unit were considered, as there is no specific placement limitation.
The Searef system has very small charges for the refrigerant R 404 A, in this case only five kilos. The created cold medium is then transformed into a liquid, which can be pumped at low temperatures and is circulated in plastic pipes placed in the roof of the hold. These pipes are very robust and keep the hold at an optimal 0C. This is done without any fans and avoiding drying out the catch. The piping system is very compact and does not interfere with the loading volume.
Forty South Ltd has chosen the system due to its robustness, its reliability and due to the fact that it gives the most effective and best quality cooling of the catch. Regulation of the temperature is done from a control placed in the galley. Forty South Ltd will also install the system in three other vessels. Most of the layout and the instruments in the wheelhouse were also changed in order to enhance fishing and economise on running costs. The refit has been conducted with the help of local contractors in Napier. Forty South normally use Nadler & Biddle in Nelson NZ for ordinary overhaul.
Forty South Ltd has six other vessels, ranging from 17m and up to 42m operating in the waters around NZ. The specifications of the Pacific Explorer are length 31m, width 7.8 m.
