Damen Shipyards Galati hands over 74-metre fishery research vessel to Angolan government

Damen Shipyards Galati has made provisional delivery of the 74-metre Fishery Research Vessel Baía Farta to the Angolan Ministry of Fisheries. The DAMEN FRV 7417 type vessel was ordered in July 2016 and officially launched in November 2017. She will remain in Galati until November, when she will set sail for Angola where the final delivery will take place.

With a 1,600 km Atlantic coastline, the development of the domestic fishing industry is a priority of the Angolan government and it currently employs over 100,000 people in both commercial and artisanal fishing.  

The Baía Farta is equipped for the full range of fisheries research and assessment activities including hydrographic operations, acoustics research, pelagic and demersal trawling, plankton, water, environmental and geographical sampling, oil recovery and emergency towage operations.

To maximise her effectiveness in her role, the Baía Farta has been built to Silent-A/F/R Class notation standards. Every care has been taken in her design, construction and outfitting to minimise underwater noise as well as onboard internal acoustic noise and vibration. The rigidity of foundations and supports for all potentially noise and vibration-generating components and systems are being thoroughly checked to ensure that they comply with the Silent notation. Expertise from Damen Shipyards Gorinchem and DAMEN Schelde Naval Shipbuilding has also contributed to the development of this sophisticated vessel.

“Over the next few weeks the Angolan team will be taking the Baía Farta through its final tests and checks before they head out into the Atlantic for their voyage home,” says Friso Visser, DAMEN Regional Director Africa. “We are confident that she will prove to be a highly efficient and effective vessel, and will in the years ahead play a valuable role in the development of the Angolan fishing industry.”

The Angolan Ministry of Fisheries and DAMEN have worked together in the past, with DAMEN having supplied two, 62-metre, FRV 6210 Fishery Inspection Surveillance Vessels and a smaller Fishery Research Vessel (FRV 2808).



Damen Shipyards Group
Damen Shipyards Group operates 35 shipbuilding and repair yards, employing 12,000 people worldwide. DAMEN has delivered more than 6,000 vessels in more than 100 countries and delivers some 160 vessels annually to customers worldwide. Based on its unique, standardised ship-design concept DAMEN is able to guarantee consistent quality.

Damen’s focus on standardisation, modular construction and keeping vessels in stock leads to short delivery times, low ‘total cost of ownership’, high resale values and reliable performance. Furthermore, DAMEN vessels are based on thorough R&D and proven technology.

Damen offers a wide range of products, including tugs, workboats, naval and patrol vessels, high speed craft, cargo vessels, dredgers, vessels for the offshore industry, ferries, pontoons and superyachts.

For nearly all vessel types DAMEN offers a broad range of services, including maintenance, spare parts delivery, training and the transfer of (shipbuilding) know-how. DAMEN also offers a variety of marine components, such as nozzles, rudders, winches, anchors, anchor chains and steel works.

Damen Shiprepair & Conversion (DSC) has a worldwide network of eighteen repair and conversion yards of which twelve are located in North West Europe. Facilities at the yards include more than 50 floating and (covered) drydocks, the largest of which is 420 x 90 metres, as well as slopes, ship lifts and indoor halls. Projects range from the smallest simple repairs through Class’ maintenance to complex refits and the complete conversion of large offshore structures. DSC completes around 1,300 repair and maintenance jobs annually, both at yards as well as in ports and during voyages.