Vard Awarded Stern Trawler Order from DFFU

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. With a high focus on quality of catch, safety of crew, and sustainable operations, the vessel has the most efficient technology to bring the catch ashore with minimum environmental footprint.

Baldvin Thorsteinsson and Samuel Ortega, Directors in DFFU, said, “We strive to produce fish products of the highest quality, and sustainability is at the core of our operations. This new vessel will allow us to bring 100 % of the catch to shore, enabling the utilization of the whole catch for increased value creation. The new vessel will have exceptional crew facilities and will be equipped with the most advanced technology available in our industry. We are excited about working with VARD on this project.

“DFFU and affiliated companies have a long-standing relationship with Norwegian shipbuilders and suppliers. We want to build on that foundation and thereby further strengthen our ties with the Norwegian shipbuilding industry. “

Fredrik Mordal Hessen, General Manager for the Offshore and Specialized business area in VARD, said, “This is an advanced trawler with tailor-made technological solutions to meet the customers requirement for sustainable operations and healthy fish.”

The new vessel will have a length of 84 meters and a beam of 16.7 meters. Accommodation is arranged for 34 people on board.

The new trawler will be equipped with the latest technology, equipment, and solutions for onboard production. To secure high quality of the fish, all the catch will be processed onboard, packed, and stored in freezers or refrigerators and the biomass is stored in specialized ensilage tanks, before unloading at the harbor.

The trawler will be equipped with VARD’s innovative catch handling solutions, with a live fish tank to keep the fish healthy until processing, an advanced fish processing factory, high cargo capacity for refrigerated and frozen fish, as well as ensilage tanks to ensure full utilization of the biomass from each catch.

The vessel will be arranged for triple trawling. The cargo capacity for frozen products will be approximately 2 200 m3 divided over two decks, in addition to ensilage capacity of approximately 540 m3. Total fuel oil capacity is approximately 860 m3.

Vard Electro will deliver a complete SeaQ package, encompassing advanced - still highly intuitive bridge, power, and automation solutions. The SeaQ Integrated Bridge is a flexible and modern bridge solution that integrates the maritime systems easily and perceptively, focusing on optimization of the operator’s workstation allowing storing of own preferred setup, reducing workload, and simplifying operation and safety.

The SeaQ package will include SeaQ Micro Grid, SeaQ Energy Storage System, SeaQ Power Management System, SeaQ Integrated Automation System, and SeaQ Green Pilot. With these combined, the vessel operator is given a full performance overview and can easily manage their operations with the aim of power optimization for reduced emissions.

The trawler will also be equipped with SEAONICS cranes and winches specially designed for safe and efficient deck handling in harsh conditions. The trawl winches have high dynamic performance enabling optimum conditions for the trawl in all conditions. During shooting or paying out wire all winches regenerate power back to the SeaQ Energy Storage System, hence will reduce the power consumption in operation.

Delivery of the vessel is scheduled from Vard Brattvaag in Norway in Q1 2024. The hull will be built at Vard Braila in Romania.

Torgeir D. Folland, SVP Sales & Marketing, has been responsible for the commercial process for this project in VARD. He said, "This contract proves our value chain’s competitiveness and will provide activity at several entities within VARD’s network of specialized facilities. Building fishing vessels and trawlers are an essential part of VARD’s history and core business, and the new assignment will utilize and develop our broad knowledge and competence within the field.”