Lithuanian ship designer Western Baltic Engineering (WBE) has launched its latest trawler design. Intended to meet the demands of the modern fishing industry with an emphasis on high performance, large cargo capacity and crew comfort, it will be formally unveiled at the Scottish Skipper Expo 2023 in May.
The trawler has a large cargo capacity of 1,300 cubic metres, and LOA of 49.5 metres and a speed of 12 knots.
WBE Senior Sales Manager Chris Cowan said he is looking forward to showcasing the new design.
“We’ve created a ‘workhorse’ of a trawler that doesn’t sacrifice crew comfort,” he said.
The vessel is designed for 16 crew members (all have single cabins), there is a gym and a sauna for them to use, as well as a spacious mess room and lounge area.
Cowan explained that the initial work got underway after WBE was contacted by an Icelandic company looking to remodel an existing WBE trawler design to better suit the market and meet today’s fishing industry demands.
“The trawler we have created has a modern hull shape, is compact and is designed to be a hard-working vessel while still offering crew comfort, and stability. By maximising equipment on deck and the factory space, we were able to provide a very generous cargo area for a vessel of this size,” he said.
“This design is a starting point, and the idea is that we can and will adapt the vessel to an individual client’s wishes. For example, the vessel is currently powered by a Tier III Wärtsila engine, but this can be adapted to suit client’s wishes.”
Cowan said WBE has already had lots of interest from clients fishing waters in Scandinavia and South America and is expecting that interest will increase when the design is unveiled to the fishing industry in Scotland.
Established in 2003 and employing 100 staff, Western Baltic Engineering is a subsidiary to Western Shipyard in Klaipeda, Lithuania.
