Norwegian fishing company Bluewild is expanding its fleet with a new factory trawler designed by Ulstein Design and Solutions; with gentle handling of the catch and the lowest possible energy consumption being important elements in the design development.
The new 73.2m stern trawler will be built in Norway at Westcon Yards, to the Ulstein FX101 design, which the company says marks the start of a new design segment. The ship is equipped for 30 people. The ship has a net cargo space of about 2,000m3 and is equipped with quadruple trawl and pelagic trawl. The X-Bow hull design will contribute to less abrupt movements and will minimise sea on deck.
The ship will be built to Bluewild’s Ecofive standard intended to set ambitious requirements for the lowest possible energy consumption, the greatest possible utilisation of the catch, extraction of nutritional value and the highest possible quality of the end product. To facilitate the goals in Ecofive, Ulstein has developed concrete solutions for this new standard in factory trawlers. Thorough analyses at the beginning of the design process and extensive collaboration with the owner’s team have led to a new configuration for such vessels, adapted to the owner’s desired operating profile and production philosophy.
Ulstein has developed a system for catch reception and storage that will, as far as possible, keep the catch alive until processing. By taking the catch directly from the sea and into separate tanks, the loss of quality during hauling and storage in dry receiving bins will be avoided, and the factory can work more steadily at its optimum capacity.
The hybrid power and propulsion system, which combines the best features of diesel-electric and diesel-mechanical propulsion, is supported by a large battery pack. Two large propellers with rudder nozzles increase manoeuvrability and towing power and help to minimise energy loss at rudder angles. Surplus energy, such as the return energy from the winches, will be stored in the battery pack and excess heat from the engines will be recovered and used where desired elsewhere in the ship.
“It is gratifying to see that we can once again supply design and equipment to a Norwegian shipyard for the construction of an innovative vessel”, said Erwin Jager, sales manager fisheries, Ulstein Design & Solutions.
