The contract for the joint design of a pelagic and bottom stern trawler was signed between SENER, China Ship Development and Design Center (CSDDC) and China Shipbuilding and Offshore International (CSOC) in Shanghai on 1 December 2011.
Once the fishing vessel is built, it will be operated by the company China National Fisheries Corporation (CNFC) in the fishing-grounds off the coast of West Africa.
The scope of the project to be developed by SENER includes conceptual and classification engineering and selection of the most important equipments of the vessel.
The design is an important technological challenge for SENER, as it combines a bottom trawl (sole, squid and toothfish) with pelagic trawl (scad and sardine) and includes processing plants, freezing and storage for both fishing procedures.
It is estimated that work will begin in March 2012 and will be completed by the end of 2012. The project is going to be developed with 3D CAD/CAM system FORAN.
Among the most important requirements of the trawler, which will have an overall length of 75m, highlights its capacity, with fuel tanks of 600t, fish holds of 2,000m³ (refrigerating temperature of -28°C and freezing temperature of -40°C) and a fishmeal hold of 300m³.
The ship will have processing plant equipment for pelagic trawl of 10t per day, bottom trawl of 120t per day, and also a fishmeal machine with a daily processing capability of 50t.
The free navigation speed will be 13 knots while the drag speed will be more than 5.5 knots for pelagic trawl and 4.5 knots for bottom trawl. It will have a crew of 45 people.
This project represents an important milestone for SENER because it is the first marine engineering contract achieved in China.