The hull of Rimfrost’s new 120 metre krill vessel has been launched by its Turkish builder.
The ultra-modern catcher/processor is built to a Kongsberg design and will be completed at the Westcon yard in Norway for Fosnavåg-based Rimfrost.
This is expected to be a very green vessel, meeting the requirements of the IMO Polar Code, with low emissions and sustainable energy usage. It will have an optimised diesel-electric propulsion system based on low-sulphur diesel with exhaust gas treatment to ensure minimal emissions and optimum operation.
Built at Tersan, it will have accommodation for up to 60 people and the yard plans to deliver the hull to Westcon in the second half of next year. This will be the largest fishing vessel to emerge from the Westcon yard when it is complete.
Extensive use is made of heat recovery from exhaust gases, coolant water and factory process heat. A high level of electrification will avoid the danger of pollution from the hydraulic system.
‘A contract of this kind will mean a lot for us, and it’s inspiring to partner Rimfrost in such an innovative project,’ said Monrad Hide, sales manager for ship design at Kongsberg Maritime.
In addition to the environmental measures related to vessel operation, assessments by the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) show that raw material utilisation will be significantly higher than for Rimfrost’s competitors, while the processes use much less energy.
According to owner Stig Remøy, this will be the only vessel in the world where health food and food supplements are actually produced at sea immediately after catching.
‘Short, careful processing will be positive for product quality. This will allow us to develop a number of new products as food additives for human, animals and farmed fish as well as for pharmaceutical use,’ he said.
‘We’re particularly pleased that we’re now putting in place a vessel which we believe will revolutionise krill fishing in Antarctica.’
