VESSEL REVIEW | Leonilda – Argentina's Veraz Group welcomes new coastal trawler to fleet

Argentine shipbuilder Astillero Naval Federico Contessi y Cia recently completed construction on a new coastal trawler ordered by local fishing company the Veraz Group.

The newbuild has been named Leonilda after the late Leonilda Novelli de Contessi, wife of company founder Federico Contessi. Construction of the vessel was completed in compliance with RINA class rules.

Enhancing an already proven design

Leonilda boasts steel/aluminium construction, a length of 20.95 metres (68.73 feet), a moulded beam of 7.5 metres (25 feet), a draught of 3.3 metres (11 feet), and advanced navigation, manoeuvring and processing technologies to enable it to meet the highest standards of safety and operational efficiency.

The vessel is a variant of an earlier Contessi-built shrimp trawler. The earlier vessels' dimensions and inverted bow were generally unchanged though there are still a number of modifications. The central gantry was removed to make the aft deck more spacious while the fish hold was enlarged and placed further forward to maximise the available space for the crew accommodation. The interior panels are now of fireproof material, replacing the traditional wood panels fitted on the earlier trawler.

In the wheelhouse, the aluminium components were retained but the decision was made to leave these unpainted. Also, because the captain’s cabin has been relocated relative to its original position on the earlier vessel, the wheelhouse now provides a full 360 degrees of visibility.

A small keel was added to keep the ballast as low as possible without increasing the draught. A roll fin and a Sleipner bow thruster are also fitted.

Fully equipped for trawling and transport

Power is provided by a Yanmar 6AYM-WET main engine, which drives a Fundicion Encenada Kaplan propeller via a Yanmar YXH-240L gearbox to deliver a maximum speed of 10 knots. The propulsion setup also includes a Buen Rumbo BR-1000 rudder and two Scania DI13 074M auxiliary engines.

The refrigeration equipment is from PM Refrigeracion while Berycar supplied the fishing and deck equipment, which consists of four winches, two rollers, and nets.

Insulation for the interior spaces was provided by Nautiplast while BE-INOX supplied the sorting and the washing belts and Hempel paint was used on the exterior surfaces. The electrical installation works were undertaken by Giordano Alpaheli while Electonica Naval supplied the wheelhouse electronics.

Leonilda is the eighth Contessi-built vessel to be built for the Veraz Group. Like the earlier vessels in the company's fleet, it will be operated out of the city of Rawson in Chubut state.