Technology group Wärtsilä has been awarded the contract to provide the propulsion machinery for a new purse seiner/pelagic trawler ordered by Strand Senior AS, a subsidiary of Strand Havfiske AS based in Norway. The order was placed last month and the new vessel will be built at the Karstensens Skibsvaerft shipyard in Denmark.
The owners specified that the propulsion system should be centred on the Wärtsilä 31 engine, listed by Guinness World Records as being the world’s most efficient 4-stroke diesel engine. The best-in-class fuel efficiency of this engine means also that the exhaust emissions are correspondingly minimised.
‘The Wärtsilä 31 engine is becoming a popular choice for vessels where operational efficiency is a key requirement. Already a number of new fishing vessels have specified the Wärtsilä 31 and we expect this trend to be increasingly emphasised over the coming years,’ said Stefan Wiik, VP Engines at Wärtsilä Marine Solutions, commenting that Wärtsilä has a long relationship with the Strand Havfiske fleet.
Wärtsilä will also supply a two-speed gearbox, controllable pitch propellers, the HP-Nozzle, shaft generator, and the Wärtsilä’s ProTouch control system. The Wärtsilä two-speed gear solution provides additional fuel savings by enabling the propeller to be run at low speed when maximum speed or towing power are not required. This also results in reduced noise levels, which is important both for crew comfort and because the level of underwater noise can affect the efficiency of the fishing activities.
‘We wanted to build a new vessel that represents the future. For this reason we have emphasised high efficiency and environmental sustainability, and Wärtsilä was the obvious choice to meet these aims,’ said Strand Havfiske’s managing director Janne-Grethe Strand Aasnæs.
When delivered in early 2019, the 75 metre vessel will operate on a variety of seasonal fisheries, alternating trawling for blue whiting and purse seining for herring and mackerel.
