With more than 35 years in the fishing industry behind him, Norwegian company Myre Kystdrift’s owner Michael Lockert decided on a new direction, and the outcome is the 51-metre Kapp Linné, capable of switching between conventional fishing for whitefish and operating as a stun-and-bleed processor for handling farmed salmon.
Kapp Linné has been built to a SeaCon SC-51 design by Larsnes Mek Verksted, and there’s no shortage of smart technology on board. The combination of roles means that the new vessel can operate on a year-round basis, instead of remaining tied up between seasons.
‘It doesn’t make sense for a vessel worth millions to lie idle for eight months of the year,’ said Michael Lockert has been fishing since 1986, and running his own vessel since 1998.
The extensive periods of downtime, it became clear that a conventional approach wasn’t going to be sustainable. He and co-owner Olav Lassesen planned a new concept around switching between winter cod to stun and bleed operations for the aquaculture industry – with both operations conducted on the same vessel with the same crew.
Kapp Linné has a Yanmar 6EY26W main engine driving a Finnøy FD300 propeller, and backed up by a Scania DI13 91M genset and a Smart Automation battery pack. Carrying capacity is in the 500 cubic metre RSW tanks, and the vessel’s interior is outfitted to a high standard with accommodation for a crew of up to 11.
Kapp Linné has two separate processing lines, both delivered by Optimar, a manual line for whitefish and a fully automatic stun and bleed line for salmon which includes and electric stunner, a gill-cutting robot, and imaging technology.
‘We can literally fish for cod one day, wash down, and start on salmon the next,’ Michael Lockert said.
It remains to be seen whether or not the automatic gutting system for salmon can also be used for whitefish, and this would enable the crew to switch from manual to automated handling, increasing the torughput rate from 20-25 tonnes per day to around 50 tonnes. The challenge is that the fish need to remain still for the imaging technology, and this could be problematic under rough conditions.
As the aquaculture industry works to strict documentation and hygiene standards, nothing can discharged from the vessel, and every water intake, cleaning, and sample must be logged. To meet these requirements, Kapp Linné is equipped with fully automatic washing systems and equipment designed for high hygiene standards.
‘We wouldn’t have invested millions in hygiene equipment if we were only working with whitefish,’ Michael Lockert said, adding that this investment improves onboard hygiene, ensuring better quality and safer operations – regardless of the species being handled.
