The MEST Shipyard in the Faroe Islands is set to expand its capacity to meet the requirements of the fleet it serves.
‘This is necessary as fishing vessels are getting bigger,’ said the yard’s managing director Mauritz Mohr.
MEST is embarking on the construction of a new dry dock at its yard in Skála capable of accommodating the largest fishing vessels operating in the North Atlantic.
The new 150 metre long, 30 metre wide dock will have a 12-metre depth, and is being sited adjacent to the present dock.
‘We will be able to accept any vessel fishing in this part of the world, as well as opening up opportunities for aquaculture, offshore and other sectors to come to Skála for repairs, maintenance and other services. For the Faroese fleet and for fishing vessels from Iceland and Greenland in particular, this offers a closer option than steaming to Denmark, which is where they mostly go at the moment, while the smaller vessels come to us,’ he said, commenting that the new dock represents a substantial investment – and the alternative is to be left behind.
‘The yard in Tórshavn goes back to 1936, and the Skála yard is even older, set up in 1904. But this is the next generation, and this is intended for more than only the fishing sector. Aquaculture service vessels are also getting larger and we need to be able to offer the services they need.
MEST is already closely involved with the Faroese aquaculture sector, having outfitted several sophisticated delousing vessels for Bakkafrost to service fish farms in the Faroes and Scotland.
‘We’ll be able to offer services to the largest fishing vessels in the Faroese fleet, as well as in Iceland and Greenland, where the development has been the same with larger fishing vessels joining the fleet.’
The intention is to have the new dock ready for operation in January 2024 – an ambitious date that could be pushed back.
‘This is a big construction job, with a lot of rock to come out and a lot of concrete to go in. Realistically, I believe it will more likely to be ready a little later in the year, but we are still aiming for January 2024,’ he said, commenting that unlike the present dock, the new installation will have easy access via the wide area of landfill on one side.
‘We’ll be able to drive forklifts and trucks right up to the dock,’ Mauritz Mohr said. ‘So there will be much easier access, which makes the working environment safer and enables work to be done faster.
