A new twin-rigger/fly-shooter being built at Maaskant for Urk company Ekofish will feature a host of new technology, including an electrical stunner and a sophisticated catch-handling layout.
The new Spes Nova UK-205 is due for delivery next year and Ekofish’s Louwe de Boer said that the stunner, supplied by Optimar, has already been tested on board the company’s PD-147 under an experimental scheme supported by the Dutch government.
‘The design has already been modified to meet our needs, which included lengthening the spoons of the stunner so that there is more clearance as the fish pass through so it so that the rubbish can also go through on its way out,’ he said.
He added that this technology is already is use in Norway on board trawlers and at fish farms, and the stunner that Spes Nova will have will have the right clearance for it to be used for both flatfish and roundfish. It will be part of a processing system that includes a gutting machine on the catch handling deck.
The Vripack-designed new trawler will also feature an innovative propulsion system, with the aim of utilising 100% of the energy produced on board, and with excess energy routed to the heavy-duty battery packs.
‘It will be able to operate for 30 minutes solely on battery power,’ he said. ‘So leaving and entering port can be done completely on electrical power.’
Changes in ownership
The de Boer brothers who own the EkoFish Group have been joined in the company’s ownership by pelagic operator W van der Zwan, which has acquired a share in EkoFish.
‘This is a strategic step that enables EkoFish to provide its existing business partners with an even better service with regards to sustainably caught and responsibly processed fish products,’ he said.
‘In order so speed up the realisation of this vision of the future, we decided to enter into a partnership with W van der Zwan, located in Scheveningen. Van der Zwan wants to develop the future of the company together with the current team, within the EkoFish Group’s vision,’ he said, commenting that the management, sales team and the skippers of the company’s vessels will all remain active as part of the new partnership.
