VESSEL REVIEW | Aton – Spanish owner’s new shrimper to operate in Argentina

Cabo Virgenes, a Spanish shrimp fishing and export company, recently welcomed a newbuild trawler to its fleet.

The all-steel Aton will be operated primarily in the waters off Argentina, where it will be used to catch red shrimp. Construction took place at Astillero Rio Parana Sur in Buenos Aires province.

"The owner requested a deep sea capable fishing vessel suitable for catching shrimp and hake in the Argentine Sea off the country's southern coast," the builder told Baird Maritime. "It also needed to feature a hold with capacity for 145 cubic metres, a slurry ice generation plant, and the ability to stay out at sea for up to seven days."

The builder added that the vessel was designed to have a different arrangement from what has been traditionally used, with two decks to allow incorporation of a versatile, large-capacity processing plant as well as more comfortable accommodation spaces for the crew. These are just some of the features that will help the owner guarantee improved fish quality while keeping operating costs to a minimum.

The construction of Aton nonetheless encountered some challenges, particularly in the sourcing of locally available raw materials, changes that were incorporated by the owner as the boat was taking shape, and the incorporation of the slurry ice system.

"The slurry ice generator resulted in somewhat greater electrical power requirements," said the builder, "but it was a necessary feature since it helped improve efficiency."

The builder learned through this newbuilding project that constant improvement and optimisation of resources have a direct impact on designs being constructed in its facilities.

Aton has an LOA of 26.8 metres, a beam of eight metres, a draught of 3.6 metres, and space for 14 crewmembers.

"The array of deck equipment includes a 34kW hydraulic winch for hoisting nets, two 90kW hydraulic winches for trawling, one Ruller 22kW hydraulic winch with 11 tonnes SWL, a hydraulic anchor winch with 3.2-tonne pull, and two electric winches for outrigger manoeuvring. The equipment is very versatile, being able to easily adapt to different manoeuvring configurations depending on the type of catch."

The vessel is powered by a Mitsubishi S12A2 T2MPTK diesel engine with a rated output of 701 kW at 1,800 rpm, an installation that the builder said was made at Cabo Virgenes' request. The engine drives a nozzle-housed, five-bladed Kaplan propeller via a ZF W3710 gearbox.A Hidramarin HTE-90 90kW bow thruster provides added manoeuvrability.

The boat also has two Scania DI13 and one Cummins 6BTD 5.9 auxiliary engines. The Scania auxiliaries are coupled to two Cramaco generators to supply power for the hydraulic equipment, the rudder, the bow thruster, the refrigeration equipment, the sanitary systems, and all electrical systems including communications and navigation electronics.

"The Cummins auxiliary is coupled to a Stamford Alternator to form an emergency and port service power generation plant," the builder told Baird Maritime. "This configuration allows for greater economy while operating in port since it supplies power for hotel loads without having the main generators running."

Aton was also built with redundancy of systems being a main consideration.

"The hydraulic, fire, bilge, refrigeration, and sanitary systems have their own reserve equipment to allow the vessel to be able to operate normally even amid breakdowns or other unforeseen events," the builder added.

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