VESSEL REVIEW | Hulda Bjornsdottir – Iceland's Thorbjorn acquires new demersal twin-rig trawler
Armon Shipyard of Spain recently handed over a new trawler to Icelandic fishing company Thorbjörn.
Named after Thorbjörn's co-founder and mother of current company Managing Director Gunnar Tómasson, the Skipasyn-designed Hulda Björnsdóttir will be operated primarily as a twin-rig trawler focusing on cod and other demersal fish species.
Propulsion arrangement configured for greater efficiency
The newbuild has a steel hull, a length of 58 metres (190 feet), a moulded beam of 13.6 metres (44.6 feet), a draught of 6.9 metres (23 feet), a depth of 10.8 metres (35.4 feet), a deadweight of 797, a fishroom that can house 720 tubs of 1,000 litres (220 gallons) each, and space for 15 crewmembers.
A 2,380kW (3,190hp) MAN 7L27/38 low-speed main engine drives a 5,000mm three-bladed controllable-pitch propeller via a Reintjes gearbox to deliver a bollard pull of 61 tonnes and a speed of 15 knots.
Electrical power is meanwhile supplied by a Siemens 1,300kW shaft generator and 500kW and 250kW generators provided by Scania.
Gunnar explained the vessel was intended to be fuel-efficient, being fitted with a smaller propeller with a lower rotation speed compared to vessels of similar size.
Full processing and handling suite
Although initially used only for trawling, the vessel also boasts processing and freezing facilities such as a Climafrio icemaker with a capacity of 20 tonnes per day and a semi-automated tub handling system.
Crane Solutions supplied the remotely controlled crane used for handling the tubs in the fishroom.
The deck equipment provided by Ibercisa includes an array of winches, net drums, an A-frame and a discharging crane while Guerra supplied the deck crane. Scantrol supplied the winch monitoring system.
The Bureau Veritas-classed Hulda Björnsdóttir is the newest vessel to join Thorbjörn's current active fleet, which now consists exclusively of trawlers after the company placed its remaining longlining vessels in lay-up. She is also the first newbuild vessel to be acquired by Thorbjörn in nearly 50 years.
