The 81m Hull-based Kirkella was registered in June 2018. She is a state-of-the-art trawler, catching around 12 tonnes of fish per haul. With 30 crew onboard and automated processing, the first fish reach the on-board freezers just 40 minutes after being caught. Aided by GPS, sensors on the nets and sophisticated control systems, modern trawling is now so precise that wastage is negligible.
Each trawl lasts between 30 minutes and six hours. The nets are hauled onboard from the stern by powerful 2,000m cable winches and the catch is electronically stunned and conveyed to the onboard factory. The fish are filleted, frozen and packaged in a continuous, highly mechanised process. Anything other than the prime fillets of cod and haddock are stored separately and processed into fishmeal to be used in animal feeds and as a fertiliser. Kirkella can store up to 780 tonnes of fish fillets at -28° Celsius in her on-board freezer.
| Registered | Hull |
|---|---|
| Built | 2018, Norway |
| Length | 81m |
| Beam (width) | 16m |
| Gross tonnage | 3,976 |
| Crew | 30 |
| Based | Hull |
| Type | Freezer trawler |
| Catch landed | Hull |
| Main fishing area | Barents Sea, Greenland waters, NAFO (northwest Atlantic), Norwegian Sea |
| Depth of trawl | 80m – 460m with 700m capability |
| Cable per trawl winch | 2,000m |
| Onboard packaging | 3 x 15lb small boxes per large box, 60 large boxes per pallet, 3.5 pallets per haul, 227 pallets per trip |
| Time from catch to freezer on board | From 40 minutes |
| Onboard freezing room | -30C |
| Time to process each catch | 4 - 5 hours |
| Length of typical trip | 60 days |
| Typical catch per haul | 12 tonnes, 4225 kg skinless fillets, 620 inners |
| Typical catch per trip | 780 tonnes / 2.3m fish suppers |
| Amount of catch consumed in the UK in fish & chip shops | 100% |
| Number of legs per net | 3 |
| Engine | One main 6-cylinder 4800hp 3600kW Rolls-Royce diesel engine and one auxiliary engine |
| Fuel capacity | 800 tonnes |
| Fuel consumption per day at cruising speed | 10 – 12 tonnes per day |
| Distance from Hull to Barents Sea | 1500 miles |
| Time from Hull to Barents Sea | 5 days |
