Leading Lithuanian ship designer Western Baltic Engineering (WBE) is unveiling its latest trawler design.
The design meets the demands of the modern fishing industry with an emphasis on high performance, large cargo capacity and crew comfort and will be formally unveiled at the forthcoming Scottish Skipper Expo in May.
WBE’s senior sales manager, Chris Cowan, is looking forward to showcasing the new design to the industry at the expo. He said: “We’ve created a ‘workhorse’ of a trawler that doesn’t sacrifice crew comfort.”
The leading ship design and engineering service provider, based in Western Lithuania, has created a trawler that has a large cargo capacity of 1300m3. LOA of 49,50m and a speed of 12 knots.
The needs of the crew are also paramount. Designed for 16 crew members, all have single cabins, there is a gym and a sauna for them to use, as well as a spacious mess room and lounge area.
Chris said the initial work got underway after WBE was contacted by an Icelandic company looking to remodel an existing WBE trawler design to better suit the market and meet today’s fishing industry demands.
He said: “The trawler we have created has a modern hull shape, is compact and is designed to be a hard-working vessel while still offering crew comfort, and stability.
By maximising equipment on deck and the factory space, we were able to provide a very generous cargo area for a vessel of this size.
“This design is a starting point, and the idea is that we can and will adapt the vessel to an individual client’s wishes. For example, the vessel is currently powered by a Tier III Wärtsila engine, but this can be adapted to suit client’s wishes.
“We have already had lots of interest from clients fishing waters both in Scandinavia and South America and we are expecting that interest will increase when the design is unveiled to the fishing industry in Scotland in May.”
The Scottish Skipper Expo will take place in Aberdeen. The expo is a high-profile annual event that looks to highlight the very best products, equipment, and services available to the fishing industry.
It will be held on May 12 and 13 in the P&J Live exhibition area in the granite city. WBE will be exhibiting at stand 109.
Note to editors
WESTERN BALTIC ENGINEERING
Western Baltic Engineering is a subsidiary to Western Shipyard in Klaipeda, Lithuania. It is one of the leading ship design and engineering service providers in the Baltic region specialising in design and technical support for ship building, offshore and maritime industry solutions. Established in 2003 it employs 100 staff.
The Western Shipyard Group is the largest employer in Western Lithuania, creating more than 2,000 jobs. Operating for over 50 years, the group incorporates 21 companies that specialise in marine and engineering services including shipbuilding, ship repair and conversion projects, complex ship design and engineering solutions, large and complex metal construction and equipment production, and stevedoring services.
Western shipyard is a member of leading Baltic industrial holding BLRT Grupp.
