The Dutch fishing cooperative YE 118 Noordland BV took delivery of its new shellfish dredger from Damen Maaskant Shipyards Stellendam in early November.
While the vessel shares the same hull design as other fishing vessels built previously at the yard, it is the ground-breaking techniques used in the product harvesting and handling methods that set her apart.
There are a number of challenges facing the razor shell fishing sector – perhaps the most pertinent is being able to harvest an undamaged product. This is due to the fact that razor shells are fragile and thus easily broken. Once on board, the next task is to keep the catch alive and healthy as razor shells are a particularly sensitive species.
The new vessel, YE 118 Noordland, has fishing gear specially designed for dredging razor shells. It comprises a 5.5-tonne basket that is lowered over the vessel’s port side with an A-frame.
