Tag Archives: Elliott Bay Design Group
Op-Ed: Engineering insights when building a trawler
Constructing a new factory trawler fishing vessel in the United States is not an undertaking for the faint of heart. Thinking back to an article written about 10 years ago, industry scholars predicted a boom in shipbuilding to replace the Alaskan fishing fleet. While naval architects, shipyards and equipment suppliers saw a boom in their immediate future, the renewal of the fishing fleet has barely begun. In fact, less than 5% of the fishing trawlers in the Alaskan fishery have been replaced. The refrigerated seawater (RSW) catcher fleet has seen one large conversion join the ranks. The Amendment 80 fleet has seen three new construction vessels, along with one sponsoning and one conversion project. The American Fisheries Act (AFA) fleet has seen one new-build project completed. Vessels in all three fleets have seen significant upgrades in this time, but the underlying hulls still date from the 1980s and 90s with some going back as far as the 1960s and 70s. more, >>click to read<< 10:16
New commercial fishing vessels are needs-tailored
A new compact commercial fishing vessel is meant for general use but designed for conditions of the particular fishery of Bristol Bay, Alaska. Elliott Bay Design Group’s (EBDG) new 32-foot gillnetter is an ultra-shallow, triple-jet boat created for the very shallow waters of Bristol Bay (less than 20-feet); and with the bay’s currents and tides and 32-foot boat length limitation in mind. It can do 20 knots and has a 20,000-pound fish capacity. The model’s design, short, but stocky and hardy in profile, may set it apart from other vessels working in the very active Bristol Bay fishery, which is one of the bright spots of Alaska’s fisheries. >click to read< 17:18
Modernizing a Fishing Vessel for Optimal Performance
Elliott Bay Design Group (EBDG) is supporting O’Hara Corporation as they modernize their 204′ factory trawler, Alaska Spirit. The vessel has been successfully fishing Alaska’s Bering Sea since 1989 when it was converted from an offshore supply vessel to a head and gut factory trawler. O’Hara has committed to a complete vessel overhaul to improve habitability, efficiency and optimize vessel performance. The multi-year project kicked off in 2017,,,The modernization work completed thus far has occurred during normal down time, meaning no seasons have been missed during the process. >click to read< 12:46
