The 72.8m long and 12.5m wide ships, which will see service in the North Atlantic off Greenland and Newfoundland as well as off German coasts in the North Sea and Baltic, are for delivery in the final quarter of 2008 and in the first quarter of 2009. Their job will include monitoring catch quotas, fishing gear and fish sizes.

Peene-Werft in Wolgast, close to the border with Poland, is Germany’s easternmost shipyard and has built a string of official work and research ships since German unification in 1990.They have included the fishery research ship ‘Walter Herwig 111’ in 1993 and the Seeadler, delivered in 2000 and one of three fishery protection vessels in service. They will replace the two others, Seefalke and Meerkatze, which have both already seen about 25 years service.

Peene-Werft has also built the research ship Heinicke, the wreck location ship Deneb and the pollution combat vessel Arkona for official German bodies.

The latest fishery ships will have a design draught of 5m and will be capable of speeds to 19.7 knots. They will carry crews of 19.  Their twin screws will be propelled by two 3,600 kW main engines, as yet unidentified. Reports added that the propulsion systems on the GL classified newbuildings would be semi-diesel/electric and that both variable pitch propellers would be driven by the main engines and gearing with increased power possible via the drive motors. The ships will also have high performance fin rudder stabilisers and a bow thruster for improved manoeuverability.

By Tom Todd