VESSEL REVIEW | Ella – Killybegs owner adds whitefish vessel to pelagic fleet

The Atlantic Dawn Group, a family-owned fishing company that operates out of Killybegs in Ireland's County Donegal, recently took delivery of a new pelagic/whitefish trawler.

Ella was built to a design developed by Danish naval architect Ove Kristensen in compliance to Bureau Veritas class rules. The vessel's steel hull was constructed at the Riga facilities of Latvian shipbuilder Latitute Yachts while final outfitting and completion took place at Mooney Boats in Killybegs.

The newbuild has an LOA of 27.38 metres, a moulded beam of 8.1 metres, a draught of 5.2 metres, and a gross tonnage of 255. Power is provided by a Mitsubishi S12R-(Z3)MPTAW main diesel engine driving a Nogva Heimdal setup consisting of a K600, 2,700mm fixed-pitch propeller and an HG510 2PTOCR gearbox.

Much of the fishing equipment on Ella was provided by SeaQuest. These include the trawl, line and gilson winches, the two net drums, and a power block crane.

The remaining hydraulic equipment consists of a Triplex net hauler, a Guerra Marine crane that can lift up to 840 kilograms, and an MB Hydraulikk davit exclusively for deploying and recovering the trawler's embarked Survitec rigid inflatable boat (RIB), which is to be used in man overboard situations.

Ella's fish deck and the fish handling system therein are unique to the trawler and were designed by Mooney Boats. For helping maintain the freshness of the catch, the vessel relies on a KER Group 275kW RSW system, a Buus ice machine with two tonnes capacity, and a Bitzer refrigeration system.

Azcue meanwhile supplied the array of pumps that serve a wide range of applications including onboard firefighting, hydraulic cooling, RSW circulating, and refrigeration. CJC oil filters have been installed for use with the diesel engines and generator as well as the hydraulics.

The trawler's hydraulic equipment draws power from a separate Mitsubishi S6B3-MPTAW diesel engine while auxiliary power is available in the form of a John Deere WDJ140 engine.

A Mitsubishi S4SDT 40kVa harbour generator set will provide electrical power for the onboard systems while the vessel is at berth.

Accommodations and amenities are available for a six-strong crew. These spaces include a single-berth cabin with en suite toilet for the master, three two-berth cabins, a mess/TV room, a galley, two common toilets, and a shower room. Other facilities include a walk-in freezer, a workshop, and a large stores area in the forecastle.

The interiors also feature bespoke timber furniture, USB charging ports, LED lights, air conditioning, and heated floors to make the onboard environment as comfortable as possible regardless of the weather conditions outside.

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