World’s biggest wellboat-in-waiting nears completion
What will soon be the world’s largest wellboat, the Gåsø Høvding, is nearing completion at Sefine Shipyard in Turkey. In an update from fish farming vessels operator Frøy Rederi, the wellboat can be seen still lacking paint but well on the way for delivery after the summer.
“We expect delivery in August,” Frøy project manager Eindride Wingan told ships news website Skipsrevyen.no.
Gåsø Høvding is 83.2 metres long, 30.9 metres wide and has a capacity of 7,500 m³. That is 50 m³ more than what is currently considered the world’s largest wellboat, the Ronja Storm, owned and operated by Sølvtrans.
At 116 metres, the Ronja Storm is a lot longer than Gåsø Høvding, but at 23 m wide it is also narrower.
Designed for customer
“Our customer needed a large boat. We worked on several different options, but eventually landed on this one. Design and flexibility are the way our customer wants it,” said Wingan.
The vessel was designed by Møre Maritime and will be put to work in central Norway.
The Ålesund company Cflow will deliver a complete fish handling system for the new wellboat as well as large sliding bulkheads for the vessel’s cargo hold. Cflow has not stated the value of the contract, but states that it is the largest single contract in the company’s history.
12-line Hydrolicer
Gåsø Høvding is equipped with negative pressure sorting and removal of all types of cleaner fish, freshwater treatment with re-use, a 12-line Hydrolicer and an advanced and automated hygiene system.
In January this year, the wellboat was launched at the Sefine shipyard (see video below). It had been almost a year since the first steel was cut on the project.
During the first half of 2022, the same yard will deliver the Gåsø Odin, which will be 85.4 m long and 20 m wide, with a capacity of 4,500 m³.
Meanwhile, in Chile, Patagonia Wellboat yesterday launched its new vessel, Patagón X, into the river at the Asenav shipyard in the southern city of Valdivia, writes Jonathan Garcés on Fish Farming Expert’s sister site, Salmonexpert.cl.
The vessel is 69.5 m long, 15 m wide and has a capacity of 2,000 m³.
A milestone
“Every time a ship kisses the water for the first time is a memorable milestone,” Patagonia Wellboat chief executive Mauricio Labra told Salmonexpert.
“It is the culmination of a process that has been set in motion by bringing together the wills of shipowners, our clients, banks, a world-class shipyard and of an entire human team that makes up the Patagonia Wellboat family. All together we are proud and commit our best efforts to make the new ship a success story that impacts an entire community, our region and finally our entire country.”
Construction of Patagón X is due to finished by August 31, which “is a great challenge due to the difficulties that the pandemic has represented”, said Labra.
“After the delivery of the ship, approximately two weeks of tests and calibrations are estimated for a start of commercial operations in the second half of September 2021. The ship will operate exclusively for our client Australis Mar.”
Bigger boat coming next
Work will soon begin on Patagonia Wellboats’ next vessel, Patagón XI. The wellboat will be 79.8 m long and 17.2 m wide, with a capacity of 3,000 m³, making it the largest wellboat ever built in Latin America. The vessel will have a total propulsion power of 3,500 kW (2 x 1,750 kW), a speed of 12 knots and diesel-electricic propulsion.
The vessel will be equipped for live harvest service with vacuum / pressure loading / unloading and to treat fish for lice infestations.
“Delivery by the Asenav shipyard is estimated in 22 months after the signing of the construction contract, a document that will be signed after the launch of the Patagón X,” said Labra.
“The ship will become part of the company’s wellboat pool and available to the entire industry.”
