Trawling News

A new research vessel built for the French oceanographic fleet operated for the National Science Community by the French national Institute of Ocean Sciences (IFREMER) has been launched at the Freire Shipyard celebrated in Vigo, Spain.The oceanographic vessel was named Anita Conti in honor of France's first woman oceanographer, as a tribute to her pioneering legacy in the exploration and study of the sea.Designed to replace the vessel Thalia, the Anita Conti will fully integrate the French Oceanographic Fleet in 2026.

Britain's Prince William on Sunday called on world leaders and businesses to take urgent action to protect the planet's oceans, saying it was a challenge "like none we have faced before."Speaking ahead of the U.N. Ocean Conference, which begins in France on Monday, William said rising sea temperatures, plastic pollution and overfishing were putting pressure on fragile ecosystems and the people who depend on them."What once seemed an abundant resource is diminishing before our eyes…

Kongsberg Discovery has announced the commercial launch of the FS80 Trawl Sonar.The compact, modular and multifrequency solution is the market’s first sonar system to combine net monitoring, intake profiling and bottom detection in a single unit, making the very latest sonar technology accessible to fishery operators, big and small. Originally unveiled at Pacific Marine Expo (PME) in November last year, the innovation has now been put through its paces in extensive sea trails…

The earliest wind farms installed in the EU are coming to the end of their planned 20-30-year lifespans.Current guidance, such as Article 60(3) of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the OSPAR Commission’s Decision 98/3, indicates that decommissioning should involve the complete removal of all seabed installations. This is also specified in national law in some territories.However, there is ongoing debate over the potential advantages of partial removal, leaving some structures on the seabed.

Ten Indonesian nationals pleaded guilty to illegally fishing in Australian waters in separate cases at Darwin Local Court on April 29 and 30, 2025. The first case arose from an incident on April 3, 2025, when Australian authorities identified, intercepted and apprehended an Indonesian vessel fishing illegally near Parry Harbor, Western Australia. Authorities seized 420 kg of sea cucumber, 300 kg of salt used to process and preserve catch, and fishing equipment including a 50-meter line with hooks and a trawling device.

When bottom trawls are dragged across the seafloor, they stir up sediments. This not only releases previously stored organic carbon, but also intensifies the oxidation of pyrite, a mineral present in marine sediments, leading to additional emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2).These are the findings of a new study conducted by the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel. Based on sediment samples from Kiel Bight in the Baltic Sea, the researchers investigated the geochemical consequences of sediment resuspension.Their conclusion: areas with fine-grained sediments…

As global reliance on subsea infrastructure grows, so do the risks. Discover how safeguarding undersea assets opens new frontiers for innovation and investment.Importance of Subsea InfrastructureSubsea infrastructure plays a critical role in maintaining the operational continuity of the modern society and the global economy. This vast network includes subsea data and communication cables, pipelines for energy transportation, electricity cables, and resource extraction systems.

The Scythian philosopher Anacharsis (6th century B.C.) said: “There are three sorts of people: those who are alive, those who are dead and those who are at sea.”Many of those onboard the Nella Dan when she grounded in December 1987 never went to sea again. Such was their passion for the ship.At that time, most of the crew were single, a wild bunch with saltwater in their veins, likely to be found partying together during their time ashore and likely to be telling everyone how Nella Dan was always the first to get to Antarctica at the start of the season despite her newer…

New vessel’s performance exceeds efficiency expectations, says Damen.Recently, the first in series Damen Shrimp Trawler 2607 successfully completed its sea trials in the Port of Hamriya, UAE. Damen has designed the new vessel for the next generation of (sub) tropical shrimp fishing. The design aims at the provision of a straightforward, no-nonsense platform, easy to operate and with minimal maintenance requirements. The Shrimp Trawler 2607 has an extremely low fuel consumption…

Nergård Havfiske has held a naming ceremony for its newbuild stern trawler, delivered by Norwegian shipbuilder Vard, which will sail under the name Sørkapp.The stern trawler is the third vessel Vard has delivered to Nergård Havfiske. The two previous trawlers are Breidtind and Senja. All three vessels were at the quay during the ceremony.Sørkapp is a stern trawler of VARD 8 02 design, developed by Vard in close collaboration with Nergård Havfiske, with a common objective to create an advanced trawler with all latest available technology on board.The 80.4 meters long vessel…

Nergård Havfiske’s third stern trawler Sørkapp was named in a ceremony in Tromsø, Norway, on June 13.The stern trawler is the third vessel Vard has delivered to Nergård Havfiske. The two previous trawlers are Breidtind and Senja. All three vessels were at the quay during the ceremony.Sørkapp is a Vard 8 02 design and is outfitted for semi-pelagic and bottom-trawling operations, emphasizing gentle handling of the catch to meet the latest requirements for fish health, efficiency and environmentally friendly operation.

Norwegian shipbuilder Vard has secured a new contract for the design and construction of a stern trawler for Havbryn, part of fishing boat company Strand Rederiet.The vessel will be of Vard 8 02 trawler design, outfitted for semi-pelagic and bottom-trawling operations with gentle handling to meet the latest demands for fish health management, efficiency, and environmentally friendly operations.The new vessel will have a length of 80,4 meters and a beam of 16,7 meters. The hull is ice strengthened according to Ice-1A.

The first US-built trawler-processor for Alaskan pollock in over three decades is now undergoing sea trials in the Northern Pacific, testing an integrated technology package from Kongsberg Discovery tailored to locate, inspect, and engage fish with unparalleled efficiency.The 100-meter-long Arctic Fjord, designed by Kongsberg Maritime and built by Louisiana’s Thoma-Sea Marine Constructor, will start full-time operations for 2024’s pollock A season in the Bering Sea.Speaking ahead of this week’s Pacific Marine Expo in Seattle…

The 2023 Maritime Risk Symposium (MRS) will be held Nov. 14-16, 2023, as an in-person event, hosted by Maritime College, State University of New York (SUNY) at the Maritime Academic Center. The theme of the 14th annual event is “Managing Impacts of Supply Chain Disruptors, Renewable Energy, Emerging Technology on the Maritime Transportation System (MTS)” with a focus on offshore infrastructure risk and disruptors. Founded in 1874, Maritime College is the oldest maritime college in the United States, providing mariner training for 150 years.

Freire Shipyard signed a contract with IFREMER - the French national institute for ocean science - for the construction of a new 40.3-m vessel for the French oceanographic fleet. It will be designed to deal with all disciplines of oceanography in Atlantic coastal areas: geosciences and paleoclimatology, physical oceanography and biogeochemistry, biological oceanography, and ecosystem functioning, from the coastline to the continental shelf. It will also perform duties related to fishery on the continental shelf and will accommodate a crew of 12 people and 10 scientists…

As China sends warships and fighter jets to the Taiwan Strait after a U.S. visit by Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, deemed a separatist by Beijing, fishing crews plying the narrow waterway say they fret more about their livelihood than politics.For years, Chinese fishermen trawling for fish, shrimp and crab have played cat and mouse with Taiwanese authorities as they closely track boats that near the median line of the Taiwan Strait.Villagers on Pingtan island in China's southeastern Fujian province…

The Canadian government said on Thursday it would not allow mining in its domestic ocean seabeds without a "rigorous regulatory structure" and that the need for natural resources does not override Ottawa's environmental commitments.Sea floor nodules contain critical minerals used in batteries that are needed to fuel the world's transition to clean energy, but trawling the sea floor for them could disrupt ecosystems."Canada does not presently have a domestic legal framework that would permit seabed mining and, in the absence of a rigorous regulatory structure, will not authorize seabed mining i

Turkey's Cemre Shipyard held a launch ceremony for the newbuild trawler Selvåg Senior being constructed for Norwegian owner Sørheim Holding.Developed in partnership with Skipsteknisk and Selvåg AS, the 79.5-meter-long Selvåg Senior purse seiner trawler will be the third in the world to use liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuel, after the Cemre-built Libas and Sunny Lady.Thanks to the LNG fuel system, the new trawler will adapt to the new "environmentally friendly" vessel flow by reducing carbon emissions being in accordance with IMO Tier III.

Shipbuilder VARD announced it has secured a new contract for the design and construction of one stern trawler for Deutsche Fischfang-Union GmbH & Co. KG in Germany. The contract value  is in excess of  NOK 500 million.The stern trawler has been developed by VARD in close cooperation with Deutche Fischfang-Union (DFFU). The new vessel will be the first trawler of VARD’s own design sold to Germany.The VARD 8 03 trawler design is developed to meet the latest demands for fish health management, efficiency, and environmentally friendly operations.

A fishing vessel fire and sinking off the coast of Mississippi was likely cause by deteriorated wiring on board, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined.The Lucky Angel was trawling for shrimp in the Gulf of Mexico when a fire broke out in the vessel’s engine room on December 10, 2020. The three crewmembers attempted to fight the fire but were forced to abandon the vessel. They were rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard. The vessel sank two days later. No pollution was reported. There was one minor injury.

With the regulated catch quotas of contemporary fisheries, design versatility for a fishing boat can be important. A new 19.8 x 7.3-m (65 x 24-ft.) combination crab trap and groundfish trawler designed by NAVANEX for building by Chantier Naval Forillon, both of Gaspé, Quebec, Canada is a fine example of this. Owners, Listuguj Mi’gmaq Government, anticipate accepting delivery in April of 2022.The steel-hulled vessel will have a raised fo’c’sle design with an aluminum pilot house. When crab fishing, the clear, aft deck will be capable of carrying up to 150 collapsible, 100-pound crab pots.

As nations commit to reducing greenhouse gases, a fishing vessel is designed to do its share. Designed by Norway’s Skipsteknisk and Selvåg AS, it is in build at Cemre Shipyard for Sorheim Holding, the Selvåg Senior is a remarkable concept. Capable of both trawling and purse seining, the 79.5- x16.2-m vessel will have a molded depth of 6.9 m. The RSW holds, in the DNV-GL classed vessel, will have a total volume of just under 2550 cu. m.. The main propulsion engine will be a medium-speed Wärtsilä 8V31DF, producing 4,800 kW at 750 RPM.

Damen Maaskant Shipyards Stellendam reached a milestone in its construction of a 38-m trawler for Belgium-based Rederij Long Ships, with the hull  launched into the water in Poland and transported to Stellendam for further outfitting.Rederij Long Ships owner Eddie Cattoor said, “I expect a lot from Franson. First and foremost to bring in food from the wide seas. Food that will supply a growing world population. She will also play an economically important role, contributing to…