VESSEL REVIEW | Orion – High-capacity freezer trawler for Scottish North Sea fisherman

Macduff Shipyards has handed over a new freezer trawler to Scottish fisherman Brian Harvey for operation in the North Sea.

Designed by Macduff Ship Design, the 24.5- by 7.6-metre Orion replaces an older, similarly named vessel in the fleet owned by Brian Harvey and his sons Andrew and Simon. This vessel was also built by Macduff Shipyards in the 1990s and was used extensively in the North Sea off Scotland.

Orion was originally planned to be built from the yard's previous 24.5-metre hull model. However, during the early design phase, a decision was taken to remodel the vessel's bow based on the preliminary results from a tank testing program that Macduff Shipyard and Macduff Ship Design were running for another project. A quick study was conducted using CFD technology to compare the proposed new bow against the previous model with the results showing a net decrease in hull resistance at steaming speeds, as anticipated. Following this, the hull form was faired and finalised by Macduff Ship Design.

The fabrication of the hull was subcontracted to Kedat Shipyard in Szczecin, Poland, with the construction reviewed and verified by Bureau Veritas to comply with the MCA's construction standard. Upon completion, the hull was towed to Macduff for outfitting by the yard.

The hull is built completely from steel, apart from the wheelhouse and mast, and features a double chine hull form, transom stern and modern bow designed to cut cleanly through the sea with less energy, leading to a reduction in fuel consumption and emissions along with increased comfort for the eight-strong crew. Below deck are the cabins, the engine room, a fish hold with capacity for 700 boxes, and a large freshwater tank forward of the collision bulkhead. Above deck is situated the aft shelter, a galley/mess and side passage area, a fish processing area, and a winch room forward where the trawl winch is situated.

A bespoke hydraulic deck machinery package consists of a triple barrel winch powered by dual motors, two split net drums, two bagging winches, two small gear handling winches, a cod-end lifting winch, and a dedicated anchor windlass. Thistle Marine meanwhile supplied both the MFB8 landing crane and the MBK13 power block crane, both of which feature a slew ring base.

Primary hydraulic power is provided by a single Parker hydraulic pump driven from a dedicated Mitsubishi 6D24 auxiliary engine producing 218 kW whilst secondary hydraulic power is provided by the combination of one electric/hydraulic motor set with an output of 22 kW in tandem with a Parker hydraulic pump driven from a power take-off fitted to the main propulsion's gearbox. The hydraulic system, designed by the yard, is cooled via a Blokland box cooler and Bowman heat exchanger

A Caterpillar C32 main diesel engine with a rated output of 492 kW at 1,600 rpm drives a 2.5-metre fixed-pitch propeller via a Masson Marine W7400 reversible gearbox. Macduff Ship Design said this propulsion package has demonstrated itself to be both robust and adaptable with the wide operating speed range of the C32 main engine, providing flexibility to achieve full power from a fixed-pitch propeller both whilst steaming and trawling. The efficiency gains predicted during the early design phase were realised during engine trials with the vessel achieving 9.1 knots at only 50 per cent engine load and a maximum speed of 10.5 knots at 100 per cent load.

A triple rudder system, a high-lift propeller nozzle, and a hydraulically powered 134kW bow thruster have also been fitted to aid in manoeuvring in close quarters.

Cooling systems for all engines and hydraulics onboard are served by box coolers supplied by Blokland Non-Ferro. Electrical power onboard is provided by two Mitsubishi generator sets rated at 98 ekW each. The generator sets are sufficiently sized to run the vessel's power independently, thereby providing complete redundancy.

The electrical systems onboard were designed and fitted by R.D. Downie, which also fabricated the vessel's switchboard and the control panels for all the pumps and motor starters. R.D. Downie also provided the fire, bilge, and gas alarm systems on board along with the navigation light panel and assisted with the installation of the navigation equipment.

The fish processing deck features a catch handling system built by the yard and is complemented by a DEGA resin floor system fitted by PBP Services. Two separate compartments are formed within the fish processing area, which houses both a dry locker and an ice plant room. The fish hold refrigeration system along with the ice machine was supplied and fitted by Premier Refrigeration.

Orion's fishing gear was supplied by Faithlie Trawl (International), Seaforth Trawls, and Caley Fisheries.

For more news, features and vessel reviews as part of this month's Fishing and Aquaculture Week, please click here.