VESSEL REVIEW | Havsnurp – Versatile herring trawler delivered to Norwegian pelagic fishing company

Norwegian family-owned pelagic fishing company Havsnurp has expanded its fleet with the recent acquisition of a new trawler built by Karstensens Skibsværft of Denmark.

The third vessel to be acquired by the company has also been named Havsnurp, and it replaces a similarly named Karstensens-built vessel that had been in the owner's fleet since 2012. Like its predecessor, the new Havsnurp will primarily be used to trawl for mackerel and herring but may also be deployed for catching whitefish and other industrial species such as capelin, sandeel, silver smelt, and Norway pout.

The vessel is rigged for single and double trawling and purse seining, primarily in the North Atlantic Ocean.

Ensuring low-emission operations while maintaining function

"We received an offer to sell our earlier vessel, and we also had a strategy that entailed renewal of our fleet every 10 to 12 years," owner Havsnurp told Baird Maritime. "The Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries even implemented an arrangement wherein two quotas can be fished using the same vessel when an operator is planning on building a new vessel, so we fished our quota through the building process by renting our old vessel back. We later sold our earlier vessel when construction began on its successor."

The owner added that the timing to acquire a new vessel was ideal even in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. Collaboration with the shipyard was done mainly through online meetings, though the two companies have had a history of prior dealings, which helped the work proceed smoothly.

"Through the new vessel, we wanted to keep our environmental footprint as low as possible while ensuring enhanced safety and comfort for the crew," the owner said.

The DNV-classed Havsnurp has an LOA of 69.99 metres (229.6 feet), a moulded beam of 14.8 metres (48.6 feet), a scantling draught of 7.7 metres (25 feet), a depth of 5.7 metres (19 feet) from the main deck, a gross tonnage of 2,521, and capacity for up to 1,951 cubic metres (6,890 cubic feet) of catch distributed across nine RSW tanks. The vessel's hull is made of steel while aluminium was used for the wheelhouse, the deckhouse, the funnel, and the fore and aft masts.

"We discussed at length with Kent Damgaard, Director/Designer at Karstensens in Skagen," the owner said. "We opted to focus on reducing fuel consumption and emissions. We also determined that the most ideal option for us was a vessel that could transport a greater load."

The owner remarked that the new Havsnurp has a total RSW tank capacity increase of 600 cubic metres (200 cubic feet) over its predecessor. This then permits crews to sail on fewer fishing trips to meet existing quotas.

The propulsion arrangement includes a 4,640kW (6,220hp) main engine driving a 4,500mm propeller, three Scania DI16 auxiliary engines, a Cummins AvK 2,500kW water-cooled generator, a Brunvoll FU-63-LTC-1750 side thruster, a Brunvoll AR-63-LTC-1750 retractable azimuthing thruster (which will serve as a backup for the main propeller), and a rudder and steering system supplied by Kongsberg Maritime. The engine room also has exhaust fans and NOx reduction technology.

"The hull and the propulsion are optimised for high efficiency in both fishing operations and sailing," the owner told Baird Maritime. "The bow of the ship is of a non-traditional design to allow sailing against the sea in rough weather. The vessel is able to cut through waves much more smoothly without losing speed."

The owner said normal sailing speeds can yield a fuel consumption rate of 20 litres per nautical mile.

Comprehensive trawling and processing equipment

The deck machinery includes Rapp Marine electrically-driven winches, fish pumping equipment, Triplex cranes, and net drums.

"The electrically-driven equipment allows for lower energy use compared to hydraulic systems, and the winches can even regenerate electricity when we are shooting wire or nets," said Havsnurp.

The winch system is designed for continuous use aided by PTO from the main engine and the shaft generator. The winches can operate on full power without relying on the main engine, the latter therefore being freed up for propulsion and electrical power supply for the other onboard systems. However, should the main engine also be needed for additional winch power, the auxiliary engines have ample capacity for shouldering the vessel's normal electrical supply.

A shore power connection is also fitted, making it possible for the vessel to offload catch in port without relying on generators.

PTG FrioNordica provided the two 1,300kW RSW plants while Cflow supplied the vacuum system consisting of four 87kW compressors and two 4,200-litre (1,100-gallon) tanks.

"We also opted to have a whitefish factory installed so we can maximise our quotas when fishing for blue whiting. We can also fish up to 600 tonnes of saithe as bycatch, whereas on the earlier Havsnurp, we had to use a sorting grid in the trawl to separate whitefish," added Havsnurp.

The wheelhouse benefits from a full 360 degrees of visibility, allowing the crew to also directly monitor operations on the aft deck. The wheelhouse electronics include Furuno sonars and radars, a Scanmar net monitoring sensor, a Simrad gyrocompass, Sailor VHF radios, a Teledyne FLIR M364C gyrostabilised thermal imaging system, an Iridium satellite phone, and MaxSea and Olex plotters.

The electronics suite also includes a power management system.

Enhanced crew comfort

The crew accommodation spaces include nine cabins with en suite showers and toilets, a lounge with shared toilet, a provisions room, a galley, a medical bay, and a laundry room. The layout placed the cabins as far away as possible from the propeller to minimise interior noise.

Furniture was provided by Ekornes and Maritime Montering, the latter also being responsible for the vessel's interior design work. The wheelhouse seats are from NorSap.

"The heating in the accommodation spaces and around the vessel is supplied by a recovery system that uses heat from the engine, allowing us to save energy," the owner told Baird Maritime.

Space is also available for the installation of a Viking Norsafe MOB boat with davit and two Viking Norsafe 12-person liferafts. Consilium provided the fire detectors while Survitec supplied a centralised water mist firefighting system.

Construction of Havsnurp took place at Karstensens' facilities in Denmark and Poland.