Wanchese Argentina, a subsidiary of Wanchese Fish Company, christened its new Argentine scallop vessel, the Erin Bruce II, at a recent ceremony in Vigo, Spain. The first factory freezer trawler constructed specifically for the scallop fishery will set sail for Argentina shortly and is expected to be operational during the first quarter of the 2024 season.
“This vessel is designed to be fuel efficient, offer modern accommodations for the crew, and leverage new technology and equipment to maximize efficiencies in our harvesting and processing,” said Ross Butler, chief executive officer of Cooke Seafood USA. “We are excited to welcome the Erin Bruce II to our fleet and we will continue to replace and modify vessels in the coming years as part of our ongoing renewal plan.”
The Erin Bruce, built in 1978, was the first and pioneer vessel in the Argentine scallop fleet. The new vessel, built by at the Astilleros Armon shipyard in Spain, measures 50.5 meters in length and 12 meters in total width. It has a carrying capacity of 400 cubic meters and can accommodate up to 37 crew members.
A number of additional features were added during construction that will allow Wanchese to exceed regulatory standards and better meet the growing needs of customers, including grading machine, processing electronics, electronic winches and autotrawl, radars, echo sounders, and trawling sensors in doors and nets.
Patagonian scallops will be harvested year-round by the Erin Bruce II and frozen at sea within an hour of harvest to ensure maximum freshness. The Argentine scallop fishery is fully certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC).The Erin Bruce II is the second vessel in our Argentine fleet to be built under the Wanchese renewal plan. It is 50.5 meters in length and 12 meters in total width.
Wanchese Fish Company is a division of Cooke Seafood USA, is capable of harvesting over 6,000 tons seafood products each year.
