VESSEL REVIEW | Mere du Christ II – French owners’ new scallop trawler to operate in English Channel

French boatbuilder Plasti-Peche recently delivered a new trawler to father and son fishers Thierry and Martin Ramet based in the port city of Boulogne-sur-Mer on the northern coast of France.

Mere du Christ II ("Mother of Christ II") was designed by local naval architect Coprexma primarily for the bottom trawling of scallops, taking over the role once performed by the owners' earlier boat, the 1992-built Mere du Christ.

The bespoke vessel's main area of operations encompasses the portion of the English Channel that stretches from Boulogne to the Seine Estuary, where it will trawl for scallops from October to January. For the remainder of each year, the crew will focus on catching squid and sardines.

The new boat has an FRP hull, a length of 15.95 metres, a beam of 7.2 metres, a draught of 3.2 metres, a lightship displacement of 102 tonnes, a gross tonnage of 110, and accommodations for up to seven crewmembers. The propulsion system includes 330kW and 119kW engines supplied by Cummins. The Ramets selected Plasti-Peche for its specialisation in boat construction using FRP, the material being preferred for its greater longevity and its lower maintenance requirements.

The vessel is also notable for re-using two net drums that had been fitted on the earlier Mere du Christ. The other fishing equipment includes three trawl winches, two Gilson winches, and a landing derrick. The wheelhouse electronics meanwhile include two Furuno radars.

Mere du Christ II will also operate as part of a vessel pair alongside the Ramets' other boat Jean Paul II for mid-water pelagic trawling for sardines.