Icelandic fishing company Samherji is reported to have sold its pelagic factory vessel, which will be delivered to its new owners in Russia at the end of the year.
Vilhelm Thorsteinsson has been a consistent top catcher since it was delivered in 2000 and pioneered pelagic processing at sea. It is expected to be replaced with a newer and more sophisticated vessel that is planned for delivery in 2020, although no decision has yet been taken on where the new vessel will be built.
Completed at Ulsteinvik in Norway in 2000 on a Polish-built hull, Vilhelm Thorsteinsson is a 7500hp, 79 metre multi-purpose fishing vessel capable of pelagic trawling and purse seining, and catches can be frozen at sea as well as stored in RSW.
