VESSEL REVIEW | Gadus – Whitefish factory trawler to operate in Faroe Islands

Faroe Islands-based fishing company JFK has taken delivery of a new freezer trawler built to a design by Norwegian naval architecture firm Skipsteknisk for operation in Arctic waters.

The DNV-classed Gadus has a length of 88.1 metres, a beam of 18.3 metres, a draught of 7.9 metres, a gross tonnage of 4,300, and accommodations for 43 crewmembers and fish factory personnel.

The vessel is fitted with triple trawling gear and designed to operate as a multi-rigger with four trawl winches supplied by Kongsberg Maritime. The winches are powered by PM motors specially designed for trawling in rough seas and extreme Arctic conditions with temperatures dropping to as low as –40 degrees Celsius.

The processing facilities include a shrimp factory, a fillet factory, and a fishmeal and fish oil plant. There will also be equipment for freezing of pelagic species in a hold with capacity for 2,060 cubic metres, which allows for the storage of up to 1,400 tonnes. Separate hold spaces are available for fishmeal and fish oil.

The factory facilities were provided by Bjørdal and are capable of handling such diverse species as cod, haddock, and Greenland halibut. The equipment has a rated output of 100 tonnes of frozen products per day.

The propulsion setup includes a 7,000kW main engine, which delivers a maximum speed of just over 15 knots.

The accommodation spaces include cabins, a mess, a galley, a lounge, a conference room, a gym, and a medical bay. Maritime Montering was responsible for the interior design work.

Gadus replaces an older vessel that has been in the JFK fleet since 2010.

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