VESSEL REVIEW | Hardhaus – Turkish-built seiner/trawler promises low-emission operations for Norwegian owner

A new purse seiner/pelagic trawler has been delivered to Hardhaus, a family-owned fishing company based in Vestland County in western Norway.

The DNV-classed newbuild, which has also been named Hardhaus, was developed by Norwegian naval architects Salt Ship Design in fulfilment of the owners’ need for a vessel that boasted energy saving features, hence the incorporation of a highly-efficient hull design, a battery hybrid propulsion system, and electrically-powered deck machinery. The vessel also needed to possess improved stability as it would be operating in rougher waters off Norway.

Hardhaus has an LOA of 74.5 metres, a moulded beam of 16 metres, a draught of 7.9 metres, and a deadweight of approximately 3,500 tonnes. A maximum of 14 crewmembers can be accommodated in onboard spaces that include cabins, a combination conference room and lounge, and a galley.

The vessel is designed to operate on either diesel-mechanical or diesel-electric mode. The main diesel engine has a rated output of 4,880 kW at 750 rpm, and this drives a fixed-pitch propeller to deliver a maximum speed of 17 knots and a service speed of 14 knots. The 1,017kWh battery pack will be used for peak shaving to help ensure optimum operating conditions for the diesel engine, thus reducing fuel consumption, emissions, and wear and tear. The batteries are also capable of providing additional propulsive power to augment the main engine in “boost” mode if necessary.

Two Brunvoll 1,200kW controllable-pitch tunnel thrusters meanwhile assist in manoeuvring in tight confines.

Electrical power is supplied by a pair of Yanmar diesel generator sets that each produce 750 ekW at 900 rpm. When used in conjunction with the 3,500kW PTO/1,500kW PTI water-cooled shaft generator, the two Yanmar diesels can produce a total overall output of 6,000 kW.

Hardhaus is adequately equipped for its two main fishing roles. A Rapp Hydema equipment package consists of 80-tonne trawling and 37-tonne purse seining winches, an end wire winch, a net sounder winch, a net drum, two fish pumps, and forward and aft hose reels. Triplex meanwhile supplied the vessel’s 50-tonne electric net hauler with PM motor, 83-tonne net handling crane, fish pump crane, 60-tonne deck crane, and cork and sink line stackers. The RSW tank has capacity for 2,300 cubic metres and is fitted with a two Cflow-Oyangen 1,238kW refrigeration systems.

An automatic heat recovery system from Ulmatec Pyro and a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) reactor help further reduce the vessel’s emissions during normal operations.

The trawler’s array of lifesaving and safety equipment include fire detection and alarm systems, a CO2 exhaust duct system in the galley, and a Redrock fast rescue craft with an inboard waterjet. The rescue craft is deployed into the water via a telescopic davit.

Hardhaus was handed over to its new owners in June of this year. It replaces a similarly named Norwegian-built vessel that had been with the Hardhaus fleet since 2003 and has since been sold to a fishing company in Iceland.

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