MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Fortuna announces the construction of a new trawler

The vessel will be registered in the Falkland Islands and has been named “F/V Prion”.

Over recent weeks, the Boards of Fortuna Ltd and our partners have approved the construction of a new trawler to replace the FV Capricorn in the Loligo fishery in early 2025. The vessel will be owned and operated by Fortuna Joint Venture Company - “Petrel Fishing Company Ltd”.

Construction of the vessel is commencing now at the Nodosa Shipyard in Marin, Spain. It is hoped that the vessel will be completed in late 2024, ready to commence fishing in the first Falkland Calamari season early the following year.

The vessel will be registered in the Falkland Islands and has been named “F/V Prion”.

The vessel is the second new build undertaken by Fortuna and our partners over the past 3 years and is a further substantial investment in the fishery here.

The vessel build will be funded by a combination of financial reserves and bank loans.

During the design and construction of this new vessel several aspects have been taken into account, which are focused on respect for the environment and the safety, comfort and resting time of the crew on board, as well as ensuring the quality of the final product. These mirror a number of similar items done on our previous new build, the FV Falcon, and include:

• Both the main and the auxiliary engines comply with the most modern and stringent regulations in terms of emissions, ensuring lower pollutant emissions and greater savings in fuel consumption.
• The hull design is optimised, with an inverted bow, to allow for easier movement and an innovative aesthetic.
• Ammonia freezing will be used again, as it was in the previous new build we undertook, as it is more environmentally friendly and efficient.
• Silicone paint will be used for the hull, which is currently the most environmentally friendly on the market, whilst also providing fuel savings.
• In order to mitigate the risk of seabird interactions, bird scaring devices will be fitted permanently to the vessel, as well as offal tanks so that batch discarding can occur when fishing operations are not happening.
• There is a high-tech incinerator that will reduce waste coming ashore.
• Thanks to the design we will be able to reduce the number of people working on the deck. In addition, in most deck operations they will work under cover, making working conditions better, especially in inclement weather.
• The crew will be 78 people, which will allow for additional rest. Accommodation arrangements will be also greatly improved.
• The factory layout has been improved, based on an ergonomic study, to improve safety speeding the factory processes.
• In addition, loading and unloading of trays in the factory will be semi-automated, therefore reducing human intervention.
• The importance of facilities for fisheries observers has also been recognised, with a dedicated cabin and a specific area has been designed for the convenience of the observers to perform their work.

Fortuna Ltd would like to thank the Falkland Islands Department of Natural Resources, Waverley Law Ltd and the Registrar of Ships for their assistance to date and future help on this project.