VESSEL REVIEW | Magne Arvesen – Versatile freezer trawler built for North Atlantic and Arctic waters

Spanish shipbuilder Gondan recently delivered a new stern trawler to Norwegian fishing company Engenes Fiskeriselskap.

Designed by Kongsberg Maritime to DNV ice class rules, the newbuild has been named Magne Arvesen in honour of the late Magne Fritjof Arvesen, one of the founders of Engenes Fiskeriselskap and the father of current company owners Borge, Vibeke Marie, Inger Anne, and Johannes Arne Arvesen.

The trawler was built in steel with an aluminium superstructure to enable it to withstand the harsh operating conditions typical in the North Atlantic, the Barents Sea, and the Arctic waters just off the Svalbard archipelago in northern Norway. The hull is of a low-resistance design to meet the owners' requirements for a vessel that promised improvements in fuel economy and seakeeping ability while the deck and interior layouts were configured to allow for safer and more efficient fishing and catch handling without compromising catch quality.

Magne Arvesen has an LOA of 69.9 metres, a moulded beam of 16 metres, a draught of 6.7 metres, and 22 cabins that can accommodate a total of 29 people. The vessel also has a medical bay, a mess, and a day room. All interior spaces are kept comfortable with the aid of an HVAC system from Teknotherm, which had also supplied the ammonia-based refrigeration system for the freezer hold.

The trawler is powered by a hybrid diesel-electric propulsion system consisting of a Rolls-Royce Bergen B33:45L9 main diesel engine that produces 5,400 kW at 750 rpm and a hybrid shaft generator that produces 2,910 kW in PTO mode and 1,500 kW in PTI mode, respectively. The main engine can propel the vessel to a speed of 17 knots while a Kongsberg Promas integrated high-lift rudder and propeller system and a 590kW bow thruster ensure improved manoeuvrability.

The trawler also has an automated factory equipped for heading, gutting, and freezing of whole white fish and a separate factory for shrimp. A freezer hold with capacity for up to 1,400 cubic metres of palletised catch and a  freezing capacity of 85 tonnes per day has been incorporated as well. A catch handling setup provided by Optimar consists of twin receiving bins and dedicated lines for handling liver and roe.

The deck equipment includes a service/unloading knuckle boom crane with three-tonne capacity, a service/unloading fixed arm crane with 10-tonne capacity, and a loading/unloading crane with four-tonne capacity.

Kongsberg supplied the vessel's wind and mid trawl winches, which are all powered by permanent magnet electric motors to reduce emissions even further. The other Kongsberg winches include sweep line winches, Gilson winches, emptying (cod end) winches, and in-haul and out-haul winches. The assortment of winches means the vessel will be capable of both bottom trawling and pelagic trawling, allowing it to easily switch between the two types when out at sea and in turn making fewer fishing trips possible.

Electrical power for all onboard systems is supplied by Caterpillar 3516C and C18 generators rated at 1,920 kW and 599 kW, respectively. The diesel fuel tank has capacity for 800,000 litres to enable the vessel to sail on extended-duration voyages to fulfil quotas more easily.

Magne Arvesen has already begun sailing on fishing trips within its intended operating areas in the North Sea and just off Alesund. Its owners initially used the vessel to fish for cod and are currently focused on shrimp.

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