An economical fishing vessel developed in the Netherlands is to modernise the fishing industry. The innovative vessel was conceived by two North Sea fishermen and is also sought after in other European countries.
The Dutch fishing industry still uses many outdated vessels, they are on average 30 years old. It zort for a lot of maintenance costs making it harder to earn a decent living in fishing. Moreover, fishermen also have to take stricter CO2 laws into account.
Less CO2 emissions
It got North Sea fishermen Hendrik Romkes and Klaas Kramer thinking. They set up the Stichting Masterplan Duurzame Visserij (MDV) project and set to work developing a new and sustainable vessel: the MDV-1. The men invested €3 million themselves.
Three years ago, the MDV-1 was first commissioned in flatfish fishing. The vessel has a hybrid propulsion system of diesel and electricity. The lightweight hull offers much less resistance and emits about 60 per cent less CO2, the Financial Dagblad reports. To catch 1 kilo of fish, about 0.5 litres of fuel is needed, which used to be 4 litres.
Invest
Another advantage is that the ship costs even slightly less than traditional fishing vessels, around €4.5 million. Moreover, the ship has automated fish processing on board, keeping the fish fresh for longer.
Meanwhile, the MDV1 is not only popular in the Netherlands. In particular, many orders have been received from France. The vessels are built by shipyards Hoekman in Urk and Padmos in Stellendam. Seven hybrid vessels have been built for French fishermen, some of them in smaller versions.
Show put
Innovation manager Frans Veenstra of Stichting Masterplan Duurzame Visserij argues in the FD that the ship has set the tone for sustainable and ultimately circular fishing. He believes that a circular ship design, without emissions, waste and accidents, is possible by 2050. Technically it is already feasible, he says, but it is currently still too costly. He also expects more autonomous ships to sail, starting with semi-autonomous ships with a small crew on board.
An updated version of the MDV1 is likely to arrive this year. Sprout reports that in this design, the engine room will be moved to the bow of the ship and fish processing and storage will be moved aft, shortening the transport of fish.
Source: Sprout/FD.nl/Masterplan Duurzame Visserij
