Ålesund fishing firm orders Ulstein-designed trawler

Bluewild, a fishing company based in Ålesund on Norway’s west coast, has ordered a new factory trawler, to be built at Westcon Yards. The stern trawler will be constructed to an Ulstein FX101 design, the first vessel in a new segment for Ulstein Design & Solutions AS. The companies claim fuel savings of at least 25% per kilo of fish product compared with a conventional vessel of the same size.

The 73.2m-long trawler has a net cargo space of about 2,000m³ and will be fitted with a quadruple trawl and pelagic trawl. With Ulstein’s distinctive X-Bow®, the vessel will benefit from good seakeeping that will rasie operating efficiency and minimise water on deck, the companies said.

Bluewild’s ‘Ecofive’ standard has been adopted in a collaborative design process. This has aimed for minimal fuel consumption, maximum catch utilisation and nutritional value extraction, and the highest quality of end product. The result, it is claimed, is a new standard in factory trawler design.

One example is a new system for catch reception and storage that maintains as many live fish as possible until processing. The catch is loaded into separate tanks, rather than dry bins, enabling processing to take place at optimal rates. The design also incorporates control systems for power and energy management with an Ulstein IASTM automation system and data transmitted to the cloud via Blue Box, a real-time data system.

The hybrid propulsion system, meanwhile, combines diesel-electric and diesel-mechanial systems with a battery pack. Two large nozzled propellers boost towing power and manoeuvrability while minimising energy loss at rudder angles, the companies said. Surplus energy from winches will be transferred to batteries, and waste heat will be used for other purposes on board the ship.

Bluewild operates a two-ship fleet – Ishavet (2013) and Langenes (1986). The new trawler will replace Langenes.