A familiar ship in a new guise has docked in Akureyri, as factory trawler Snæfell is back under the Icelandic flag.
Having sailed as Akraberg and under the Faroese flag since 2013, its role for fishing company Framherji has recently been taken over by a new factory freezer trawler of the same name built at Vard in Norway.
Samherji has acquired the trawler from Framherji, put it through an extensive refit, and brought it back to Iceland, renaming it Snæfell EA-310, before it heads to sea to fish primarily on Greenland halibut and redfish.
After taking delivery from Framherji, Snæfell was steamed to the Osrkov Yard at Fredrikshavn in Denmark, where the processing deck was overhauled, a large part of the accommodation and shared crew spaces were renewed, and much of the wheelhouse electronics has been replaced. In the engine room the aircon and other systems have been overhauled, and the trawler has been painted from top to bottom during its three-month stay in Denmark.
Pálmi Hjörleifsson is on board for the first trip as skipper, and he will alternate with Stefán Viðar Thórisson, and Snæfell sails with crew of 18.
Snæfell was built in Flekkefjord in 1994 as Guðbjörg ÍS-46 for owners in Ísafjörður, and that operating company was subsequently absorbed by Samherji. Over the years it has operated under a number of names and flags, and was lengthened to its current 85 metre length, before becoming part of the Framherji fleet in 2013.
Image: samherji.is/Þórhallur Jónsson
