The 'Don Franco' has joined the Argentine trawler fleet.
The 20.8 by 6.6-metre vessel was designed and built by the Contessi Shipyard at Mar del Plata, Argentina's largest fishing port 400 kilometres south of Buenos Aires.
Owned by the Galeano family, the new vessel is classed by RINA and will replace their older boat, the 'Galme I'. The new trawler will make just fewer than ten knots with a 447kW, six-cyliner Cummins KTA19-M main engine.
At 1,800rpm, the engine will turn a propeller in a nozzle through a ZF 1800 marine gear with a 6:1 ratio. The nozzle will assure good power for towing a midwater trawl. The boat is also capable of being rigged for purse seining. The two gear types will allow for the catching of a wide variety of species including besugo (sea bream), merluza (hake), bonito and anchovita.
Tankage in the 3.2-metre deep hull includes 20,500 litres of fuel and 4,000 litres of water. The vessel's hold is a healthy 87 cubic meters. Accommodation is provided for up to ten fishermen. Auxiliaries for powering generators and hydraulics include a Cummins 6 CTA8.3G and a 4BT3.9-iiter Cummins.
