Designed by the Nodosa Shipyard’s own naval architects in co-operation with the Stanley-registered Falcon’s owners, the new trawler has a 75 metres overall length with a 14 metre beam, and measures slightly under 2000gt to comply with regulations applying to Falklands waters where tonnage is a key licensing consideration.
Built to replace an elderly trawler with several decades of service behind it, Falcon’s owners went to Nodosa looking to bring new technology into their operations, as well as optimising energy efficiency, catch handling and quality, and providing the crew of up to seventy with a safe and comfortable working and living space on board a modern trawler.
Falcon’s long trawl deck is laid out with twin full-length trawl lanes, with the main trawl winches mounted above the trawl deck to provide a clear working space on deck. Carral supplied Falcon’s complete electric deck machinery installation, with a pair of MS5/R8/1 water-cooled main winched powered by 450kW motors.
At the head of the deck is a row of four CHM/R/53-20 sweepline winches with 250kW motors. In addition, there are pairs of 132kW gilsons and codend winches, two 11kW outhaul winches and four 11kW backstrop lifts. Carral also supplied the two anchor winches on the foredeck.
Catches are dropped through the hatch at the stern into holding pounds before going to the factory deck for processing, where Falcon has a 121 tonne per day freezing capacity. Frozen production is stored in the 1715 cubic metre fishroom. Refrigeration is supplied by the bank of four 200kW Mycom 200VLD compressors.
Falcon’s main engine is a 5220kW Wärtsilä 9L32, driving a four-bladed, 4000mm diameter Schottel CP propeller via a Reintjes SVAL 850-66 reduction gearbox, with a pair of 2500kW Marelli shaft generators. The power combination provides a 16 knot top speed and an 80-tonne bollard pull.
