Kongsberg Maritime has been selected to supply a large electric winch package for a pelagic trawler/purse seiner, currently being built for the Danish company Astrid Fiskeri at Karstensens Skibsvaerft in Denmark.
The contract includes delivery and commissioning of a set of powerful fishery and auxiliary winches, together with a large variable speed drive package and the latest version of Kongsberg’s control and monitoring system.
The fishing winches will be fitted with new electric multidrive technology, developed by Kongsberg Maritime specifically for pelagic trawling and purse seining.
This includes permanent magnet (PM) motors with gears mounted directly to the gearwheel and drum, allowing for direct transition and smoother, more dynamic operations.
‘Kongsberg was early on the market in delivering electric winches to the pelagic trawler fleet,’ said Svein Hatlehol Henjesand, sales manager at Kongsberg Maritime. ‘This market has traditionally been mostly served by various high-pressure winches, while Kongsberg Maritime has also delivered dynamic low-pressure winches. We believe this has given us a head start in the current shift towards electric winches.’
The deliveries to Astrid Fiskeri include software for remote access and self-assessment. A self-assessment tool is installed on an iPad and delivered to the vessel’s crew. This helps the crew to be proactive and it can assist in preventing component failure.
Self-assessment reports are also delivered to Kongsberg Maritime’s onshore team of engineers. If required, a service engineer can then connect through remote access, and either resolve the issue online or make service plans for the next docking.
‘These combined products and services demonstrate how digitalisation is essential to improved productivity for ship owners, even when the installed product is mechanical.
Through a high level of co-operation with vessel crews, Kongsberg Maritime can help to remove or reduce unnecessary costs and avoid interruptions in fishing,’ said Lisa Edvardsen Haugan, Kongsberg Maritime’s EVP deck machinery and motion control.
The winch package is scheduled for delivery to the yard in Q4 2021, with commissioning during the first half of 2022.
