NAVIS ehf is now engaged in preparing modifications to a 115 m long freezer trawler for a Russian fishing company in Kamsjatka, this being the seventh trawler of the same design which NAVIS ehf prepares and designs all modifications. The main engine and auxiliary engines will be renewed, the freezer equipment renewed and increased in capacity, the factory deck production line renewed and fish receiving bins increased in size and fitted cooling with refrigerated sea water (RSW).

The trawler in question is the MS Maironis, built by the shipyard in Straalsund in former East Germany around 1990. „There were nearly forty such vessels built for Russia in East Germany and Maironis was one of the last vessels built there when the Wall came down. As a result of that, the shipyard was temporarily closed down and the ship was completed later”, Einar A. Kristinsson of NAVIS says. Einar says that these vessels were of quite a good design and well constructed vessels, which the Icelanders referred to as vacuum-cleaner trawlers at some time. At that time the catch was fully processed on board. The fish was filleted and liver and other offal was either boiled and canned or melted to liver oil, and only about 10-15% of the catch was discarded. Einar says that, to-day, many of those vessels are fishing off the west coast of Africa and that, all liver processing and canning equipment have been removed and the trawlers are now operated as traditional freezer trawlers, freezing the catch whole on board. The modifications of the vessel in question will be carried out in Latvia, and she has already arrived at the shipyard.

„Our engagement consisted of calculating the stability of the ship and organize the salvage“, says Hjörtur Emilsson the general manager of NAVIS ehf. Behind Hjörtur the MS „Perla“ can be seen lying submerged and only the aerials of the vessel are visible since those were the only items above sea level, in addition to pumping towers that had been fitted by the salvers.

Monday 16th November 2015 the sand dredger Perla was successfully lifted from the bottom of port of Reykjavik after having been lying there for a full fortnight. NAVIS ehf was entrusted by owners and the insurance company of MS Perla to assist with all technical preparations for the salvage of the vessel in co-operation with Messrs Ráðgarður ehf, marine consultants.

Read more: MS „Perla“, re-floated from the bottom of port of Reykjavík

The fishing company in Saint Malo, France, for whom NAVIS ehf designed a new 100 m long freezer trawler, has decided to cancel the project. The newbuilding project had already been sent out for tenders with the result that, eight bids were received, however, the company board of directors decided to reject all offers and rather enter negotiations for, and finally order, a smaller trawler design from a standard serial production for a related fishing company from which there are already two ships being built. The freezer trawler which NAVIS ehf had designed, was tailor made for very special conditions prevailing in the port of Saint Malo, where the entrance to the port is through a narrow sluice open only during high tide and closed at low tide. The beam of the vessel and draught were limited by those conditions, and also the fact that, there is fourteen metres difference in high and low tide.

According to Hjörtur Emilsson the CEO of NAVIS ehf, the whole design and drawing project was in the finishing stages and now the closing of this project will have to be negotiated with the shipowners.

Alexander Andersson is a new team member at NAVISAlexander Andersson naval Architect/marine engineer is a new team member who has recently joined NAVIS. Alexander, who completed the Master´s degree in his field at Chalmer‘s Technical University in Gothenburg earlier this summer, is well acquainted with the company, since he and his school mate, Kári Logason, carried out and wrote their graduate thesis in this country using NAVIS´s offices to their advantage and partly under counsel of Agnar Erlingsson naval architect.

Read more: New team member at NAVIS