VESSEL REVIEW | Carlos Luis – New shrimper built for Argentina’s Patagonian waters

Argentine fishing company Aquellos Tres has begun operational sailings of a new pelagic and bottom trawler built by local shipyard Astillero Federico Contessi y Cia.

Named Carlos Luis, the vessel is optimised for catching red shrimp in Patagonian coastal waters in southern Argentina. Measuring 20.98 metres long by seven metres wide, the newbuild utilises a design used in a number of other vessels that were built by the same shipyard for various customers over the last decade.

The trawler boasts refrigerated and ice storage facilities with a total volume of 110 cubic metres as well as Berycar winches, reels, and other deck equipment. This ensures that catch is loaded directly on ice as soon as it is hauled on board. The fishroom features Nautiplast insulation and a chiller from PM Refrigeracion.

The catch handling system supplied by BE-INOX also includes an automated grader and washing system.

The propulsion setup includes a Yanmar 6AYAM-ET main engine, two Cummins 6CTA-G2GD1 auxiliary engines, a Buen Rumbo hydraulic rudder, and a Sleipner bow thruster. The main engine drives a five-bladed Kaplan propeller via a ZF gearbox to deliver a maximum speed of 10 knots.

The vessel features wheelhouse electronics supplied by Electronica Naval while the electrical installations were undertaken by Giordano Alpaheli. Power for the onboard systems is drawn from two Cramaco 60kVa generator sets.

Carlos Luis has since replaced Ana III, an older shrimp trawler in the Aquellos Tres fleet.

Click here for more news and gear stories, feature articles, and vessel reviews as part of this month's focus on fishing and aquaculture.