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

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.

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.