DFFU’s new vessel, Berlin NC107, has completed the delivery trip from Braila in Romania, to the Vard yard at Brattvåg in Norway, where outfitting is to be completed.
The completed vessel is scheduled to be delivered in January next year, when Berlin joins the Deutsche Fischfang Union GmbH (DFFU) fleet to replace Baldvin NC.
The hull and installation of key components was carried out at Vard’s Braila yard, and towing the new vessel to Norway from Romania presented complex challenges due to the ongoing war in neighbouring Ukraine.
Under normal circumstances, the route would have passed Ukraine’s Black Sea waters. For insurance reasons, the route was changed and local contractors towed Berlin to Tulcea, where the main Vard site is located. From there Harms Bergung Transport, took over and Pegasus completed the trip to Brattvåg with the trawler in tow.
‘We are relieved this unusual towing route of the vessel was successful. The ship looks excellent. VARD has done a good job, and we expect the vessel to be delivered on time in January next year,’ said DFFU chairman Baldvin Thorsteinsson.
At the Brattvåg yard, the factory deck, accommodation, cranes, engine and wheelhouse outfitting will be completed, before the crew and service engineers test all of the systems and equipment, and conduct sea trials.
‘This new vessel will create new opportunities for us and more operational flexibility. It will allow us to broaden our list of caught species, which is important because our main species, cod, has decreased substantially in the last few years,’ Baldvin Thorsteinsson said.
‘It will be more fuel efficient than older vessels, will be equipped with new sustainable production methods that allow the full utilisation of the raw materials in each catch, which will reduce waste. Finally, the new vessel will bring positive changes for the crew in the form of a more comfortable working environment and better accommodation.’
