Fishing Boat World Vessel Reviews

VESSEL REVIEW | Camelys – Longliner/gillnetter delivered to western French owner

Baird Maritime

French shipbuilder Piriou has delivered a new longliner/gillnetter to Armement Cooperatif Artisanal Vendeen (ACAV), an artisanal fishing cooperative based in western France's Vendee department.

Named Camelys, the newbuild will be homeported at Joinville on Ile d'Yeu and will operate primarily in the Bay of Biscay but can also sail in the English Channel. It has a steel hull, an aluminium superstructure, a length of 21 metres, a beam of seven metres, a depth of 3.5 metres, a hold with capacity for 500 boxes totalling 60 cubic metres, and accommodations for up to eight crewmembers. The hold can store chilled catch at one degree Celsius.

Photo: MarineTraffic.com/Michel Fabbri

Power is provided by an IMO Tier III diesel engine with a rated output of 400 kW driving a four-bladed propeller while a bow thruster enhances lateral manoeuvrability. The main engine is also fitted with both seawater and freshwater cooling systems to ensure more efficient operations.

One of the notable features of the vessel is an array of sound-repelling attachments fitted on the hull bottom. Adrien Delavaud, the boat's captain and vice president of ACAV, said these "pingers" can be activated to prevent bycatch of dolphins, which are abundant in the Bay of Biscay.

Camelys is the 12th newbuild vessel to join the ACAV fleet and the third delivery to the organisation in recent years after the trawlers Cayola and Mabon III, which were handed over in 2013 and 2014, respectively. It will be used for catching various species such as hake, sole, and porbeagle shark.

Camelys
SPECIFICATIONS
Type of vessel:Longliner/Gillnetter
Port of registry:Ile d'Yeu, France
Flag:France
Owner:Armement Cooperatif Artisanal Vendeen, France
Builder:Piriou, France
Hull construction material:Steel
Superstructure construction material:Aluminium
Length overall:21 metres
Beam:7.0 metres
Depth:3.5 metres
Capacity:500 boxes
Main engine:400 kW
Propulsion:Propeller
Other equipment installed:Enging cooling systems; sound repellents
Type of fuel:Diesel
Crew:8
Operational areas:Bay of Biscay; English Channel