Norwegian ship designer Skipsteknisk AS says that the new 261.8ft freezer trawler ordered from shipbuilder Dakota Creek Industries, Anacortes, WA, by Fisherman's Finest, Kirkland, WA, will be its "most environmentally and carbon footprint friendly vessel to date."

The ship, to be named America's Finest, has been designed to operate within the parameters set by Amendment 80 to the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI) Fishery Management Plan which allocates several Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands (BSAI) non-pollock trawl groundfish species among trawl fishery sectors.

As we reported earlier, the vessel will have an MAN Diesel & Turbo main engine and propulsion package.

The U.S.-flag stern trawler is being built to produce frozen-at-sea white fish products and groundfish, including yellow- and rock sole species.  

Its operating area will be the North Pacific, Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea inside the U.S. EEZ. Its super efficient capabilities in towing, processing and freezing of catch will set a new standard for the entire Bering Sea fleet, says Skipsteknisk.

The new ST-116XL design has following main dimensions:

Overall length: 79.80m
Length bp: 70.80m
Breadth molded:15.40m
Depth main deck midship: 6.15m
Depth trawl deck midship: 9.10m
Depth 1st deck midships: 11.70m
Depth 2nd deck midships: 14.3m
   
The new vessel will be built to class DNV GL rules for fishing vessels.

The vessel design has a highly efficient hull shape which reduces hull resistance when sailing in ice or at open sea.

The accommodations and interior outfitting is designed for 49 persons. It includes a hospital, and is completely insulated for the harsh working environment.

The vessel is fully rigged for pelagic - and bottom trawling. The winches are to be electrically driven and are designed for regeneration of power. The vessel will be outfitted with three working cranes for various operations.

The deck machinery will be supplied by Ibercisa of Spain,

"This machinery is undoubtedly a new departure for fishing vessels towards electrical drive," says Ramon Carreira, Ibercisa's General Manager of Ibercisa, adding that this type of equipment allows improved operational performance on board the vessel, with less power installed, ; lower installation costs, elimination of pipes and onboard oils, simplification of on board systems, improved noise levels, and savings in fuel costs.

On the main deck, there are arrangements for high capacity processing- and automatic freezing lines comprising graders, cutting machines, plate freezers, palletizing systems, conveyors and elevators.

Fishermen's Finest has a rich tradition of pioneering in the fishing industry of the North Pacific and Bering Sea that dates back to 1967. CEO/COO Helena Park, pioneer of the U.S. Head and Gut ("H&G") fisheries, has led the FFI team since 1986 and is an integral force in the establishment of the H&G fishing business, expanding product sales on a global basis, utilizing all fish products, overseeing stewardship of the resources and vessel operations.

Ms. Park is the sole director, managing officer and shareholder of Fishermen’s Finest, Inc. Ms. Park was born in South Korea and came to the United States as a high school exchange student in 1973. She holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Food and Nutritional Science from the University of California Berkeley and a Master’s of Business Administration from Pepperdine University. She began working in the fishing industry in 1982 and focused on the sales of product into Japanese, Korean and Chinese markets and has owned and operated longline catcher processors and continues to own and operate trawl catcher processors.