MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
“New Polar”: New Technology
Efficiency and cost saving, achieved by the use of state-of-the art technology distinguish the New Polar, latest addition to the Falkland Islands fishing fleet. Vessel owners, Polar Limited hosted a reception on board the recently Falkland flagged vessel on Friday evening.
Launched in 2004 and built over eighteen months at the Freire shipyard in Vigo, Spain, the New Polar, 74.5 m long, 12.5 m wide and weighing in at 1794 tonnes gross, looks at first sight like any other fishing vessel of similar size. Appearances can be deceptive, however, as Dick Sawle, Managing Director Polar Ltd explained to guests: -
"The New Polar was built as a multi-role vessel to meet the ever more exacting demands of the modern fishing fleet. It must be capable of efficiently finding a variety of species from squid through to ice fish, catch them in quantity, process them to the strictest levels of hygiene, be economically competitive, and meet a variety of rigorous tests of environmental compliance, as well as being a safe and healthy vessel on which to live and work. This is a tall order to fulfill, and meeting these specifications has been the aim of the entire team of people involved in the project. There has been no compromise, and the result of the hard work, expertise and diligence can be seen as you tour later through the vessel."
From engine room, through the factory deck to the bridge, New Polar bristles with technology and innovation beginning with the 4000 horse power Wartsila engine, which burns relatively cheap heavy fuel, a sensible option in an era of globally rising fuel prices.
The factory deck of the vessel gleams with stainless steel and was supplied from Norway by Optimar. It is described as multi-role, which is to say that it can process the catch ‘all round', ‘heads and gutted' or filleted. Although the rate of processing at 60 tonnes a day is not exceptional, Mr. Sawle pointed out that it is an automated system, which enables each frozen unit of catch, be it box or block, to be weighed and stamped on board, satisfying current regulatory demands for traceability in a very efficient manner.
Polar Ltd are particularly proud of the technology available to the New Polar's bridge, which was supplied by Nautical and includes the first use in the world of cable-less net sonar. This system enable the fishing master to ‘see' exactly what the net is doing, when it is deployed, including, the quantity and type of fish which it might contain. Mr.Sawle pointed out that this system carried an environmental conservation bonus, as previously existing systems rely upon a cable between the net and the vessel, which has been found to be a contributor to incidental seabird mortality.
The advanced communications features on the bridge include satellite Inmarsat F, an extremely fast internet service and more than one kind of radar, including a short-range system, which is unaffected by interference from the hostile weather, which is often encountered in Southern latitudes. When guests asked about the weather conditions the ship and factory can work in, they were told, "If you can sail, you can fish and process. Only when the captain cannot sail does the work stop."
Polar Ltd is a 50-50 joint venture between Falklands-based Seaview Ltd and the Spanish company Pesca Nova.
John Fowler (MP) Stanley
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