French demersal landings resume in Peterhead
23rd January 2025
The arrival in Peterhead of the French trawlers Andrew Leduc and Bressay Bank, which are a regular sight on the fishing grounds around Shetland, appears to be explained by a new carbon tax that Denmark has introduced, rather than many of the rumours swirling around the port.
The two vessels are part of a five-strong fleet owned by French company Euronor, which is based in Boulogne and has for several years been landing direct into the Danish port of Hanstholm. The Andre Leduc and Bressay Bank were regulars in Peterhead in the pre-Brexit years, along with their sistership Cap St George and former fleetmate Halten Bank.
Euronor brought two Danish- built vessels into the fleet in 2022 – Fisher Bank and Otter Bank. Fisher Bank was built as Audacious BF 83 in 1999 at Karstensens Shipyard for Whitehills skipper Billy Gatt, while Otter Bank was built as Mark Amay SO 954 for Irish skipper Shaun Conneely in 2000.
Both vessels were acquired by Faroese fishing company Beta in 2007 to operate as a pair team, with Audacious being lengthened by 4m to become 38m like Mark Amay. Audacious was renamed Lerkur and Mark Amay became Rokur. Otter Bank and Fisher Bank have also landed in Peterhead recently.
Speaking to the Danish fishing website Fiskeritidende, Hanstholm auctioneer Jesper Kongsted said that the move was not a surprise, given that the total annual tax on the fleet of five vessels could exceed 15m Danish kroner – around £1.7m a year.
“German boats have already informed us they will land their fish at home. Swedish vessels are considering similar actions. A major French shipping company operating five vessels has said it will continue to bring fish to Hanstholm for now, but plans to refuel in the Shetland Islands.
“When a boat docks, it prioritises efficiency to return to sea quickly. Added costs like this tax are unsustainable for the industry. It’s a matter of simple economics – no one will willingly accept such a financial burden,” Jesper Kongsted explained.
“I sincerely hope policy-makers understand the gravity of this situation. We need a model that is fair and sustainable for everyone involved. Otherwise, this policy could have devastating consequence.”
Proponents of the new tax, which is designed to push vessel owners to further increase fuel efficiency and reduce emissions, say its wider adoption across the EU would have a much better impact, and prevent vessels from shifting landings patterns to find the ports and countries that are doing least to encourage a transition to more fuel-efficient engines and fishing patterns.
The landings come against a backdrop of continued allegations of lax monitoring of EU vessels by Scottish authorities, and persistent allegations of rule-breaking by campaign groups including Fishing Forward UK. Fishing News is aware of several high-profile meetings where these allegations are being raised by concerned parties, with the aim of improved transparency relating to inspections and monitoring of EU vessels landing in Scotland.
This story was taken from the latest issue of Fishing News. For more up-to-date and in-depth reports on the UK and Irish commercial fishing sector, subscribe to Fishing News here or buy the latest single issue for just £3.50 here.
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Main image credit: Ryan Cordiner
