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The world's biggest krill fishing factory vessel is to be designed by Wärtsilä. The vessel is to operate in the pristine waters of the Antarctic, a World Heritage site, and the Wärtsilä design includes appropriately sustainable environmental solution.

The contract, which was signed in December 2015, has been placed by Shanghai based Hansail Marine & Offshore Design and will feature Wärtsilä's VS 6206 FT design. The vessel is to be built for Jiangsu Sunline Deep Sea Fisheries Co, based in China.

According to Wärtsilä, the company's experience in designing highly efficient fishing vessels was an important factor in the award of the contract. The design incorporates innovative fishing and fish processing technologies that allow krill fishing to be carried out, not only with conventional net trawling, but also using continuous pumping, a new development that is said to improve the quality of the fish. The 115-metre-long vessel will have onboard processing factories for the production of frozen krill, krill meat, and Omega 3 fish oil. The ship will have accommodation for 99 people.

"Wärtsilä has a proud and successful track record in ship design and we have an excellent list of references for fishing vessel designs. Our strong presence in the Chinese market means that we have the capability to provide quickly and efficiently, the needed support to everyone involved in this important project. We have worked closely with the customer to develop this design enabling sustainable and effective fishing in the Antarctic," said Riku-Pekka Hägg, Vice President, Ship Design, Wärtsilä Marine Solutions.

"To ensure high efficiency, low fuel consumption, and therefore reduced environmental impact, the hull's interaction with the propeller is of significant importance. Wärtsilä has for many years invested in developing expertise in the optimisation of hull lines, and is today using advanced computer aided tools to maximize the performance of each individual ship designed. Wärtsilä's extensive portfolio of products and solutions is also a factor in the high efficiency of the vessel as it enables optimal integration of all the onboard equipment," Wärtsilä said.

Wang Zhi, owner of Jiangsu Sunline Deep Sea Fisheries Co. Ltd, remarked: "This new series of vessels represents a new generation of krill fishing solutions and we are grateful to Wärtsilä for producing a design that fully meets our needs. For fishing in the harsh and sensitive waters of the Antarctic, the ship's design must be reliable, safe and environmentally sound. We believe that Wärtsilä has succeeded in all these areas."

The contract calls for a basic design, meaning that Wärtsilä will provide all class and flag authority-related drawings and arrangements needed for the necessary approvals and certifications. They will also provide the basis for future more detailed engineering prior to the building of the ship.