VESSEL REVIEW | Erin Bruce II – Wanchese Argentina adds scallop trawler to fleet

Wanchese Argentina, a subsidiary of Cooke Seafood USA's Wanchese Fish Company, took delivery of a new scallop trawler built by Armon Shipyard of Spain at its recently acquired Astilleros Ria de Vigo facilities.

Erin Bruce II will be used for year-round trawling and processing of Patagonian scallops off Argentina primarily for export to Europe and North America. Cooke Seafood USA said it is the biggest newbuild factory trawler to be operated in Argentina and the first to be constructed specifically for the domestic scallop fishery. Ross Butler, CEO of the company, remarked that the vessel is designed to be fuel-efficient and to offer modern crew accommodations.

The second vessel to bear the name Erin Bruce boasts a length of 50.5 metres, a beam of 12 metres, a draught of 4.7 metres, a gross tonnage of approximately 3,750, a hold capacity of 400 cubic metres, and accommodations for 37 crewmembers. The propulsion delivers a speed of just over 14 knots.

The owner said a number of new features were added during construction to allow Wanchese to exceed regulatory standards and meet the growing needs of customers. These features include a grading machine, processing electronics, electronic winches, radars, echosounders, and trawl sensors in doors and nets.

The processing facilities include sorting equipment and have a rated output of 20 tonnes per day. The crew accommodation spaces meanwhile consist of cabins, a galley, and a mess.

Erin Bruce II will be homeported at Mar del Plata south of Buenos Aires along Argentina's Atlantic coast and will commence fishing voyages in the first quarter of 2024. Facilities are available to allow scallops to be frozen-at-sea within an hour of harvest, thus ensuring freshness up until these are offloaded in port.