Antarctic LK 145 Boat Review
16th September 2024
Arrival of the latest Shetland pelagic vessel, Antarctic LK 145, brings fleet modernisation full circle
By Peter Johnson
A new pelagic trawler, Antarctic LK 145, arrived in Lerwick on 14 August for the Shetland partnership known as Fiskebas Fishing Company.
The new vessel is just shy of 70m long, and is the last of the local pelagic boats to be renewed in recent years. Her 20-year-old predecessor – Antarctic II – was sold to Lei Group in Norway.
Antarctic is a truly international venture, having been built at the Astilleros Zamakona shipyard near Bilbao in Spain to a design by Skipsteknisk of Ålesund and interior finishing by Norwegian outfitter Maritime Montering.
It took Antarctic three and a half days to steam from Bilbao to Shetland. According to skipper John William Stewart, ‘the sea was like a loch’ throughout the trip, but Skipsteknisk had ‘not designed a poor one yet’, he said, so he expects her to handle well in all weathers.
The Stewart brothers – Arthur (left), skipper John William (centre) and Raymond (right) – in the wheelhouse of their new vessel.
The trip was enlivened by sightings of large whales of unknown species breaching, and the novelty of flying fish.
This is the second pelagic RSW vessel that Zamakona has built for Shetland, with the Adenia LK 193 having been delivered in 2019 to Whalsay owners. The yard has also built midwater trawlers for owners in mainland Europe in recent years.
The Antarctic is the same length – 69.6m – but beamier – 15.3m – than her predecessor, but is nonetheless expected to deliver better fuel consumption, as well as having more space and better visibility than the old vessel.
A stern quarter view of the new vessel as she approaches her berth in Lerwick.
The new vessel’s partners decided to revert to the same name as their first Antarctic rather than call her Antarctic III, which would not have had the ‘same ring’, said John William. The fishing company is named after their first pelagic boat, Fiskebas, which was acquired in 1986, he explained.
Among the host of improvements the new Antarctic boasts is a more powerful 5,400kW main engine, which pushed her along at 15.3 knots in sea trials, though she will likely be a couple of knots slower heading to the factories.
She has a similar tank capacity to the old vessel at 2,200m³ in 11 refrigerated seawater tanks. In practice, she might carry 700t of herring, and rather more mackerel. The RSW system is from Johnson Controls, and the fish handling vacuum system from MMC.
Antarctic’s crew, left to right: Magnus Jamieson (engineer), Ivor Leslie (chief engineer), Arthur Poleson (engineer), Andrew Leslie, John Arthur Poleson, Arthur Simpson, Raymond Stewart (mate), Arthur George Stewart (second skipper), Philip Mouat, John William Stewart (skipper), Gavin McIntosh, Davy Anderson (cook) and Ross Stewart.
John William said: “She’s got more horsepower than the old one, and better freezing gear, and the winches are more powerful, the net drums are more powerful.
“She is more efficient. The fuel economy will be better, and I think she is the first boat in Scotland with AdBlue that cuts exhaust emissions to make her greener. We took 30t in Spain before we came north.
“The layout of the boat itself is much better. In the wheelhouse, you can see all around you. The wheelhouse instruments have been extensively modernised.”
This is just a snippet of Fishing News’ full boat review of Antarctic LK 145. You can read the rest of this article in full in the 12 September issue of Fishing News, click here to purchase this issue from just £2.50 or subscribe to Fishing News here.
Image credits: Ivan Reid
