The technology group Wärtsilä has been contracted to provide the ship design for a new, state-of-the-art krill fishing vessel, which when delivered will be the largest and most efficient of its kind in the world, the company said in its release. The ship design order was placed by Shanghai Chonghe Marine Industry (CMI) in March.The approximately 140 metres long vessel will operate in the krill fishing grounds of Antarctica, and will be at sea for extended periods of time. It will be fitted with the latest fishing equipment, with onboard processing capabilities for high quality krill products. The Wärtsilä design will incorporate both high operational efficiency and minimal environmental impact.
Harvesting from the ocean needs to be carried out in a sustainable manner, especially in the pristine waters of the Antarctic. By enabling a bigger and more efficient vessel, the Wärtsilä design allows the operator’s quota to be reached with a greatly reduced carbon footprint since less fuel is burned, which correspondingly reduces emission levels.
This is the second krill trawler to be designed by Wärtsilä for CMI, and is considerably larger than the first, the ‘Shen Lan’, which is nearing completion. In addition to the ship design, Wärtsilä has also delivered the engines for the 115 metres long ‘Shen Lan’.
The initial design will be completed during the second quarter of this year, and the scheduled delivery of the completed vessel is expected to be in 2023.
Wärtsilä in brief:
Wärtsilä is a global leader in smart technologies and complete lifecycle solutions for the marine and energy markets. By emphasising sustainable innovation, total efficiency and data analytics, Wärtsilä maximises the environmental and economic performance of the vessels and power plants of its customers. In 2019, Wärtsilä’s net sales totalled EUR 5.2 billion with approximately 19,000 employees. The company has operations in over 200 locations in more than 80 countries around the world. Wärtsilä is listed on Nasdaq Helsinki.