Armon shipyard to build a hybrid fishing boat and rigid sail for a Marín company
It will be the first fishing boat with this type of propulsion in Spain. It will have batteries and solar panels on the deck and bow roof.
The future will be all green, but when technology allows it. Because it is not possible today to imagine a fishing vessel, especially a deep-sea or high-sea vessel, capable of operating with hydrogen, ammonia, LNG, or any of the energy systems advocated by Brussels to enable a complete transition to zero emissions but for which it has not provided any public funding.
Meanwhile, Galician fleet continues to take decisive steps toward lower consumption thanks to new hull designs, electrical equipment on deck, and in its fishing yards. Or with mixed and innovative solutions such as the one that Ventura will present, a longline vessel measuring almost 36.5 meters in length and with a capacity of 482 GT (expressed in gross tonnage), from the Veraguas Lar shipowner. It will feature hybrid diesel-electric propulsion. And not only that: with photovoltaic panels, batteries, and a rigid sail, it will become a unique specimen. Revolutionary. Disruptive. It will be assembled by Armon Vigo; the contract was signed last January.
The project was presented this Monday in Brussels during a conference dedicated to vessels of the future and female leadership held at Permanent Representation of Spain to the European Union (REPER), chaired by the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food, Luis Planas. The event not only served to highlight the commitment to innovation by Galician shipowners, but also to emphasize the clear need for a community financing scheme that would facilitate this fleet's transition toward decarbonization. "More environmentally sustainable, with a low carbon footprint, safer, more comfortable, and capable of more selective fishing," are the characteristics that, according to Planas, the vessels of the future should have.
2,000 litres daily fuel savings
Ventura is a surface longliner targeting swordfish and blue sharks. It will be able to operate in the North Atlantic, Indian Ocean, and Pacific Ocean fishing grounds. The hybrid propulsion system will allow the vessel to save an estimated 2,000 litres of fuel daily and will add a rigid-wing sail to contribute to a 100% sustainable operation.
This is not the first time that Galician longliners have experimented with a WAP system: in 2021, Balueiro Segundo, from A Guarda, was the first fishing vessel worldwide to incorporate this technology, which is increasingly common on medium-sized merchant vessels. Furthermore, this new vessel will incorporate a layer of solar panels on the deck and bow roof, as well as a battery pack to store energy for normal operation. The longline machinery will also be electric.
"It's a pleasure to present this tremendously interesting initiative in Brussels, which demonstrates what Spain says about fishing vessels is a reality; what we say, we do," Luis Planas added, in the presence of shipowners, sisters María José, Mercedes, and Lucía de Pazo Allariz.
(Source: Faro de Vigo)