Omega Protein Corporation recently christened two new vessels at its Reedville, Virginia facility.
Omega Protein Corporation recently christened two new vessels at its Reedville, Virginia facility.
The two vessels, named the F/V Rappahannock and the F/V Fleeton are state of the art menhaden fishing vessels and are the first new vessels christened by the company in over 20 years. Omega Protein is a nutritional product company and an integrated producer of omega-3 fish oil and specialty protein products.
"The addition of the Rappahannock and the Fleeton to our Reedville fleet marks a significant investment in our operations here in Virginia," said Monty Deihl, Director of Fishing Operations at Omega Protein. "I'm proud that Omega is reviving the tradition of formally christening our new fishing vessels. It demonstrates our commitment to both our employees here and the community which for so many years this Reedville plant has supported."
Omega Protein CEO Bret Scholtes added, "These two vessels allow us to harvest menhaden in a more efficient and environmentally conscious capacity. It also allows us to better preserve those fish and conduct our operations in a safer way. It's really a win-win scenario in all regards. We couldn't be more excited about the 2013 fishing season and beyond."
The Rappahannock was built in 1982 and is 196' x 40', making it the largest vessel operated by Omega Protein in 2013. The Fleeton is 184' x 38' and was built in 1976. Both vessels were originally used as Offshore Supply Vessels in the Gulf of Mexico.
They were purchased by Omega Protein and retro-fitted into state of the art menhaden fishing vessels. Among the updates, large fuel tanks were removed from the boats and replaced with fish storage containers. The vessels will also feature twice the usual tonnage of refrigeration aboard in an effort to improve the quality of fish prior to processing.
