Dakota Creek Signs Advanced Blue North Fishing Vessel Contract

Blue North has signed a contract with Dakota Creek Industries in Anacortes, Washington, to build one of the most environmentally friendly and technologically advanced fishing vessels in the world. The innovative “green” boat – which will be completed in the fourth quarter of 2014 – was specifically developed for the Alaska cod hook-and-line fishery, and was designed by Skipsteknisk AS, a Norwegian ship design firm.

Blue North holds an option to build a second vessel starting late in 2013.

Blue North’s new boat will be designed to produce boneless cod fillets, cod loins, and a host of vacuum-packed consumer-ready cod products on board. Each fish will be individually handled, immediately processed, and frozen within minutes of processing.

In addition, Alaska hook-and-line cod has been certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), and it’s been designated as a “Best Choice” by the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program.

Five Key Sustainable and Safety Advantages

The new state-of-the-art Blue North fishing vessel offers five key environmental and safety advantages.

First, the boat will deploy hook-and-line gear, which means that one fish will be caught at a time, with a focus on quality, as opposed to quantity. The benefit here is that the small lines leave a greatly reduced environmental footprint on the bottom of the ocean, compared to other gear types.

Second, the boat will be constructed with an internal haul station – a first in the United States. In terms of sustainability, the internal haul station assures the careful release of non-target species. And, in terms of safety, the internal haul station allows all vessel personnel to accomplish their work inside the boat.

Third, the boat will efficiently utilize proteins that currently go to waste, with the ultimate goal of 100 percent utilization. That said, the new Blue North vessel is not focused on catching more fish; instead, its onboard processing facility will use more of the fish that are caught. To accomplish this, every consumable product will be retained – including the liver, stomach, roe, milt and head. Currently, many hook-and-line fleets that process onboard only use the dressed fish, or 50 percent of the entire weight; the rest of the fish is ground up and discharged overboard, due to a lack of space, refrigeration capacity or onboard labor.

Fourth, the new Blue North vessel will offer lower emissions and fuel savings of an estimated 30 percent or more, versus conventional designs. The vessel will be cleaner, thanks, in part, to the unique use of diesel electric twin-bladed dual-azimuth propulsion. The boat will also be one of the first fishing vessels in the United States built to meet new Tier III emissions standards set by the Federal government.

Fifth, the new Blue North vessel will greatly enhance the safety of life at sea. Its internal haul station means that crews will no longer be exposed to rough seas and freezing temperatures for hours on end, and the risk of falling overboard during hauling is negated. In addition, the vessel is built with a heavily weighted box keel design, to keep weight low, as well as an anti-roll tank; these features combine to provide an extremely stable working platform and further enhance the safety factors and crew comforts designed into every detail of the vessel.

Another factor behind the vessel’s strong fuel-and-emission credentials is the fact that it will be built with a molded or formed hull, which has a more efficient flow through the water because of decreased resistance. The new Blue North vessel will be the first purpose-built hook-and-line processing vessel in the United States to have a molded hull.

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Press Release, May 8, 2013