The first sea trials of new beam trawler Avanti Z-26 were carried out just before the end of 2021.
Built for Belgian fishing company Rederij Devan, Z-26 is built to Maaskant’s BT3808 design and is planned to replace two older vessels operated by owner Steve Depaepe.
Sister vessel Franson Z-91 was delivered last year to Belgian fishing company Rederij Longships, replacing a 30-year-old beam trawler.
The hulls of the sister vessels were fabricated in Poland and brought to the Maaskant yard in Stellendam for outfitting. The two are designed to dovetail with the maximum permitted length and tonnage set by the Belgian Maritime Inspectorate.
Working wth SIP Marine, Maaskant’s designers have been able to optimise the design to increase bollard pull and reduce fuel consumption.
‘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.’
Avanti Z-26 is currently undergoing further sea trials at the yard in Stellendam and is expected to be delivered to its owners in mid-January.
