VESSEL REVIEW | Shaulora – UK fishing family's twin-rigger built for North Sea prawn trawling
Scotland’s Macduff Shipyards has handed over a new twin-rig trawler to local private owners Graham and Josh Buchan.
Designed by Macduff Ship Design, Shaulora is the second Macduff-constructed vessel to be delivered to the same owners after the 2019-built Ellorah. Like the earlier vessel, Shaulora will be operated primarily in the North Sea, where she will focus on prawns.
The newbuild has an LOA of 19.99 metres (65.58 feet), a beam of 7.5 metres (25 feet), a depth of 4.2 metres (14 feet), a displacement of 265 tonnes, a gross tonnage of 187, and space for up to eight crewmembers.
The vessel has been designed to make the most of the available internal volume. Macduff said this has allowed for noticeably larger accommodation areas than on some of its previous vessels of similar length, giving the crew a more practical and comfortable living space for time at sea.
Designed to deliver improved performance even with greater size
A major focus during the design stage was hull efficiency. The hull was developed using CFD analysis to reduce resistance compared with earlier designs, despite the vessel being physically larger and carrying greater displacement.
The design includes a prominent bulbous bow to reduce wave-making and improve longitudinal stability, while the stern has been extended below the waterline to improve water flow and transom separation. Forward of the propeller, the bustle has also been carefully shaped around the gearbox to deliver smoother water flow to the propeller.
Crew comfort was also given close attention. In particular, the exhaust trunks were routed aft and up the gantry, away from the wheelhouse, helping to reduce noise levels in both the wheelhouse and galley. The galley and mess area is also of generous size and around 25 per cent bigger than on previous builds.
Shaulora was built indoors from start to finish in Macduff Shipyards’ dedicated build hall. The vessel has a steel hull with an aluminium wheelhouse and mast, with all components cut by Macduff Profilers using CNC plasma and gas cutting machinery. The steel kit was supplied by Macduff Ship Design, which also inclined the vessel and prepared the stability booklet.
Power comes from a Caterpillar C18 main engine with a rated output of 447 kW (600 hp) at 1,800 rpm and coupled to a Masson Marine W6000 gearbox with a 9.919:1 reduction ratio. This drives a Teignbridge 2.3m diameter, four-blade propeller inside a Kort Propulsion high-thrust nozzle to deliver a speed of 10 knots, as proven during trials.
Macduff said Shaulora is the second newbuild delivered with this propulsion package, the first being Forever Faithful in 2025.
The main engine is also fitted with a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system. Together with urea dosing and NOx monitoring equipment supplied by Finning Caterpillar, the SCR system reduces the NOx emissions from the engine in line with IMO Tier III requirements. A stainless-steel urea tank with a capacity of around 1,200 litres (260 gallons) is fitted below the fish hopper.
Cooling for the engines and hydraulic system is provided through closed-loop freshwater systems, with box coolers supplied by Blokland Non-Ferro.
Steering is by a triple-rudder system designed and fabricated by the yard, powered by a Scan Steering MT1000 steering gear unit. Macduff said sea trials showed the vessel to have very responsive turning as well as very good course-keeping ability.
Full deck equipment suite with independent power supply
Hydraulic power onboard is supplied primarily by a Mitsubishi 6D16 auxiliary engine that produces 129 kW at 1,800 rpm and directly drives Kawasaki swash plate hydraulic pumps. In addition, two 45kW electric motors each drive an independent hydraulic pump. These can be used for net retrieval or to operate deck equipment in harbour while running only one generator set.
The load-sensing hydraulic system, fitted with electric control valves and remote joysticks, delivers power only when required, helping to cut fuel use and reduce onboard noise.
The deck machinery package was supplied by the yard and includes a triple-barrel trawl winch fitted with a Hägglunds Compact CA140 motor, along with two split net drums, each fitted with two Hägglunds Compact CA70 motors. Thistle Marine supplied the MFB8 landing crane and BK7 powerblock crane, both mounted on slew ring bases. A Dynamic S45 gilson winch is fitted for handling catch, while two smaller general-purpose winches are installed aft on either side of the powerblock.
Electrical power is provided by two Mitsubishi generators each rated at 98 ekW and with the capacity to run the vessel’s electrical load as well as one of the 45kW hydraulic motor pump sets. When both pump sets are required, the second generator can be brought online.
The vessel’s electrical system was designed and manufactured by R D Downie, which supplied the switchboards, motor drives, starter panels, fire, bilge and gas alarm panels and battery systems.
Heavy-duty processing and storage setup
For fish handling and processing, Macduff designed the overall system, while the catch handling equipment was built in marine-grade stainless steel by Northeast Fabricators.
Refrigeration was designed and installed by Premier Refrigeration, which also supplied and fitted the Geneglace 2.5-tonne ice maker. The equipment is housed in a dedicated compartment between the sorting area and the forward winch room.
The fish hold has been finished with gel-coated FRP panels to a high standard. The cavities behind the linings have been pumped with high-quality insulation to improve efficiency and maintain temperature.
A fixed access ladder has also been built into the fish hold structure to improve crew safety.
