A commonly held view overseas is that Australia builds fast and simple aluminium vessels – and not a lot of anything else. A view possibly also held by some Australian politicians. Here, though, is a vessel that positively gives it the lie. It is steel, slow and exceedingly complex: the world's first purpose designed salmon harvesting vessel.
Emmanuel is a 36-metre vessel with tonnage figures that would suggest something considerably larger: 500 tonne lightship displacement, 672GRT and 509DWT. Her mechanical and electrical complexity is hinted at by her having generating capacity totalling a 40 percent higher output than the main engine. This vessel is clearly something different.
A full review of Emmanuel will appear in the September issues of Work Boat World magazine and Ausmarine magazine.
