'Ship of the Year 2023' to ECOFIVE trawler

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On 6 June 2023, Bluewild, Ulstein Design & Solutions AS and Westcon were awarded 'Ship of the Year 2023' for the factory trawler ECOFIVE. The jury states that the ship solution offers ground-breaking technology with several innovations for a greener fishing fleet.

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It is the first time that a fishing vessel has received this award. At the award ceremony at the Nor-Shipping exhibition, the Minister of Fisheries and Ocean Policy, Bjørnar Skjæran, announced the winner with HRH Crown Prince Haakon of Norway present. Gustav Erik Blaalid, chair of the Board of Skipsrevyen, read the statement from the jury.

The Jury's statement:

"The 'Ship of the Year 2023' goes to a vessel that offers revolutionary technology.

Reduced emissions

The vessel is fitted with a hybrid propulsion system where the battery system has a capacity of 1,130 kWh. In addition to several energy efficiency measures, this will collectively provide at least a 25 per cent reduction in fuel consumption and emissions compared to a corresponding modern vessel of this type. The savings can be up to 40 per cent for some operations. The twin propulsion system with rudder nozzles is the most significant single area for energy efficiency. This alone reduces energy consumption by 15 per cent compared to conventional vessels of the same type. In addition, comes electrical winches, comprehensive heat recovery, and further energy efficiency measures.

Technology

The catch technology needs to take care of the raw material from the catch to the finished product.

  • Gentle trawling and boarding where the catch will flow in below the waterline
  • Live storage of the catch in waterfilled tanks at the reception system
  • Processing of multiple products
  • Even factory exploitation
  • CO2 as a refrigerant provides a lower temperature during freezing and higher quality
  • All residual raw materials will be used

The shipowner and ship designers have used the technology in fish carriers and land-based facilities and merged this into a complete design package for onboard production.

Transferability

This year's winner is ECOFIVE, and the name comes from the working title of the project, 'Eco-friendly-fishing-vessel'. It is an environmentally friendly vessel concept where many elements can easily be used on other vessels and thus make the fishing fleet greener. This concept is a big step in a more resource-friendly direction in a time where sustainable harvesting from the sea will come even more into focus in the future".

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The composition of the jury

The 'Ship of the Year' award is presented by the magazine Skipsrevyen, and the jury has been composed of Gustav Erik Blaalid, chair of the Board of Skipsrevyen, Sverre Steen, Head of Department at NTNU in Trondheim, and Hans Jørgen Rambech, senior advisor at Sintef Ocean in Trondheim.

Facts about ECOFIVE:

  • A trawler for whitefish and shrimp
  • Shipowner: Bluewild AS
  • Ship design: Ulstein Design & Solutions AS
  • Shipbuilding: Westcon Yards

The factory trawler is 73.2 m long, has a cargo space of approximately 2,000 cubic metres and is equipped with a triple trawl and a pelagic trawl. The equipment suppliers are mainly from the Norwegian maritime cluster.

From the left: Minister of Fisheries and Ocean Policy, Bjørnar Skjæran, Runar Muren, Managing Director Ulstein Design & Solutions AS, Lars Lühr Olsen
Managing Director Ulstein Verft AS and Cathrine Kristiseter Marti, CEO Ulstein Group.
From the left: Minister of Fisheries and Ocean Policy, Bjørnar Skjæran, Runar Muren, Managing Director Ulstein Design & Solutions AS, Lars Lühr Olsen Managing Director Ulstein Verft AS and Cathrine Kristiseter Marti, CEO Ulstein Group.

Please contact us for more information

Rolf Petter Almli DSC5166 comp bw
Rolf Petter Almli

Sales Manager

Tel: +47 901 05 668

rolf.almli@ulstein.com