VESSEL REVIEW | Via Alize – Deep-sea tuna seiner joins Via Ocean fleet

Via Ocean (formerly Armement Saupiquet), a French subsidiary of Italian conglomerate Bolton Group, has taken delivery of a new steel-aluminium tuna purse seining vessel from French shipbuilder Piriou.

Built at Piriou’s Vietnam facilities to a design by Piriou Ingenierie, the vessel has been named Via Alize, “alize” being the French translation of “trade winds.” The trawler has an LOA of 67.3 metres, a beam of 12.4 metres, a depth of 6.1 metres, a draught of 6.5 metres, and 14 fish holds with a total capacity of 1,200 cubic metres. Via Ocean technical manager Pierre Palud said the newbuild fully complies with French flag state requirements in addition to possessing modern fishing and freezing equipment to help ensure the best possible catch quality even while underway.

Palud added that, although the newbuild is smaller than the other vessels in the Via Ocean tuna seining fleet, it boasts more environment-friendly features compared to its counterparts, making it more aligned with the company’s goal of sustainable fishing.

The vessel also boasts MLC 2006-compliant accommodations for 23 crewmembers. A medical bay has also been incorporated.

There is one fore and one aft crane as well as deck space for two tenders consisting of a speedboat and a 10-metre steel skiff, both of which were also supplied by Piriou as part of the newbuilding contract.

The deck winches include a single-drum unit and a two-drum unit, each capable of a core pull of 39 tonnes. Also fitted are a set of three hydraulic gunwale rollers from Bopp and 18 auxiliary winches for deploying the skiff and the booms. Bopp had also supplied the vessel’s steering gear, which comes with its dedicated power pack.

The seiner is powered by a 3,000kW main engine that delivers a maximum speed of 14 knots, a cruising speed of 11 knots, and a maximum endurance of 55 days. It is equipped with optimised propulsion featuring a controllable-pitch propeller and a 1,500kVa shaft alternator to allow for more efficient energy usage. The vessel also has a total fuel capacity of 350,000 litres and a freshwater capacity of 30,000 litres.

Among the onboard electronics is a complete alarm and monitoring system from Marinelec Technologies. Power for all onboard systems will be drawn from a pair of 800kVa generator sets.

Via Alize is the fourth tuna seiner to join Via Ocean’s current active fleet and the first newbuild to be acquired by Via Ocean following its 2019 integration into the Bolton Group. It is being operated out of Via Ocean’s main hub in Concarneau in Brittany.

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