Work is underway in Poland on two new beam trawlers for Belgian owners. The pair will be completed by Maaskant, which has refined the BT3808 design to fit the owners’ requirements, optimising them within the limits set by the Belgian Maritime Inspectorate.
According to the yard, this is a clear sign of growing optimism in the Belgian fleet, as a keel-laying ceremony was held in Poland for the two new vessels for Rederij Devan and Rederij Long Ships.
Rederij Devan’s beamer will be Avanti Z-21, while its sister-ship for Rederij Long Ships is to be christened Franson Z-91.
When Rederij Devan owner Steve Depaepe began looking for future options for his fishing business back in 2018, talks with Maaskant resulted in the realisation that one highly efficient vessel would be more profitable than the two less efficient boats that he currently operates.
For Rederij Long Ships owner Eddie Cattoor, the decision to invest in a new fishing vessel was based on a combination of factors.
‘We had been looking forward to a new vessel for some time, and now the time is ripe. Fish prices and quotas are satisfactory, the fuel price is reasonable and our current vessel is ready for replacement. In short, a good time to invest,’ he said.
Maaskant’s BT3808 design specifications include the maximum permitted length and gross tonnage set by the Belgian Maritime Inspectorate, making it a perfect fit.
The basic design has been modified in co-operation with SIP Marine to reduce fuel consumption and increase bollard pull.
‘For both the Belgian and Dutch fishing fleets, becoming more efficient through innovation is an important issue,’ commented Maaskant’s commercial manager Jeroen van den Berg.
‘To remain competitive, they need to minimise their operating costs in every way possible, and at Maaskant we continuously revaluate every aspect of the design and fitting out of our fishing boat designs to deliver just that. The updated Damen BT3808 beam trawler in particular offers owners and operators many advantages in today’s challenging commercial fishing environment.’
