VESSEL REVIEW | Kangei Maru – Large factory vessel delivered to Japanese whaling company

Japan’s Kyokuyo Shipyard Corporation recently handed over a new whaling mothership to local operator Kyodo Senpaku. Named Kangei Maru (関鯨丸), the vessel will operate primarily as a floating factory, with the actual catching of whales being done by other vessels equipped for that purpose.

The newbuild has a length of 112.6 metres (369.4 feet), a beam of 21 metres (69 feet), a gross tonnage of approximately 9,299, space for 50 crewmembers and 50 processing personnel, and an electric propulsion system. A range of 7,000 nautical miles will ensure that the vessel can reach Antarctic waters.

Efficient navigation and hauling capacity

The vessel’s design was influenced by those of existing Ro-Ro vessels as a means of controlling construction costs. The electric propulsion arrangement includes four generators, each of which is fitted with systems for reducing CO2 emissions.

The vessel is notable for having a dedicated hangar for a large aerial drone. This unmanned craft will help the crew detect whales especially over the horizon.

Any caught whales are brought on board the vessel via a stern slipway angled at 18 degrees, which is shallower than on the operator’s earlier whaling ship. This feature can haul whales that weigh up to 70 tonnes each.

Extensive transport and processing facilities

Any catch is then transported to the upper deck, which features a cutting and weighing board measuring 70 metres (230 feet) long. This area of the vessel is fully enclosed to allow cutting to be done regardless of weather conditions, thus improving crew safety, sanitation, and whale quality.

Following cutting, the whale meat is brought to the adjacent factory, stored in vacuum-sealed packs, placed in boxes, frozen, and then stored. This will help preserve the meat during the long return voyages to the vessel’s homeport of Shimonoseki in Yamaguchi Prefecture, ensuring the quality will not be adversely affected up to when the meat is offloaded. A side ramp is fitted to allow small vehicles to enter and exit the vessel during offloading operations while in port.

The frozen whale meat is placed in any one of 40 containers with individual climate controls. This feature allows the crew to adjust the temperature according to the contents of each container, resulting in energy savings as well as improved product quality. The containers can store a total of 800 tonnes of whale meat.

The crew accommodations include individual cabins and day rooms. This is an improvement over Kyodo Senpaku’s earlier whaling mothership, which boasted only a single common cabin for the entire crew.

Kangei Maru will assume the role once undertaken by Nisshin Maru, which served for 30 years until being decommissioned in 2020. The newer vessel is larger and faster, and can stay out at sea for up to 60 days. Its initial sailings will be off the coast of Tohoku and Hokkaido.