Dutch fishing company Quotter, based in Urk, sent the latest addition to its fleet to sea this week after its extensive refit in Poland, carried out by van Slooten Shipbuilding.
Originally built at Maaskant fifteen years ago to fish under the Norwegian flag as the Noordværder, the twin rigger was acquired by Quotter and taken to Poland for its refit, which included adding 3.60 metres to its length.
According to Pieter Louwe van Slooten, who manages both Quotter and has also been running van Slooten shipbuilding since building his own Lub Senior UK-153 some years ago, the trawler has been 70% rebuilt and now sails as the Stellar UK-151.
Previously a dedicated twin-rigger, it is now fitted out for both twin-rigging and fly-shooting, having been fitted with an Osey Urk winch supplied by TCD, one of the first of the new type of combined fly-shooting/trawl winches with brakes built onto the shaft to allow the skipper to maintain tension on the drums while shooting away seine rope.
The extra length provides more fishroom space, pat of which is needed to cope with discards. TCD supplied the remodelled catch handling deck, fishroom chillers and the new ice maker. Urk marine electrics supplier Piet Brouwer was closely involved in the work done on Stellar and wheelhouse electronics were supplied by De Boer Marine and WNL.
Stellar sailed at the beginning of the week with its twin rig gear spread by a pair of VF15 trawl doors from Thyborøn for its first few trips on plaice in the North Sea, before switching to fly-shooting further south in the Channel for the winter.
