The new M/tr Avataq christened and initiated into the Royal Greenland fleet
The new M/tr Avataq was officially named and initiated into the Royal Greenland on Saturday afternoon, prior to the annual Culture Night in Nuuk.
It was with great pride, that Royal Greenland welcomed our newest addition to our family at an official ceremony before the Culture Night in Nuuk, where hiring consultant Anne Louise Fleischer from Royal Greenland’s wage department christened the trawler Avataq. Avataq will be the biggest vessel to date in Royal Greenland’s fleet and the first trawler to fish with 3 trawls simultaneously.
Open ship and firework show
CEO Mikael Thinghuus and Director of Corporate Relations Jens K. Lyberth welcomed the guests to the event and presented the details on this high-tech addition to the fishing fleet. After the official ceremony, all guests and visitors were invited on board the Avataq to experience a state-of-the-art vessel and workplace first hand.
The story behind the name Avataq
The story behind the name Avataq
I christen you Avataq, said the vessel’s Godmother Anne Louise Fleischer at the official ceremony. The story behind the name Avataq began with a contest where Royal Greenland’s employees in Greenland were offered the opportunity to submit name suggestions for the new trawler. The winner, Arnaq Gjerulff from the production unit in Attu, had suggested the name Avataq, which means catch bladder in Greenlandic. A catch bladder is a traditional tool used when hunting by sea with harpoons, that helped prevent the harpooned animal from sinking. Arnaq Gjerulff travelled to Nuuk to participate in the ceremony.
After the visit onboard the trawler, the guests were invited into a nearby warehouse to explore the journey from sea to table for our seafood. The various steps in the value chain were described by colleagues from several divisions within Royal Greenland. For the kids, there were competitions as well as a display of fish and shellfish in a petting zoo.
The event ended with spectacular fireworks at the harbour to celebrate the christening and kickstart the Culture Night 2020 in Nuuk.
Designed for the future
The vessel is designed for longer fishing trips over larger distances and is built as a home away from home for the onboard crew. The ambition has been to create a great place to work and live as well as a state-of-the-art vessel ready for the future.
Avataq is built to shift between fishing for prawns and halibut, which means the onboard factory is able to process both species and designed to maximize the quality of the seafood.
Avataq is also designed with the environment in mind. One example of this is the electrical trawl winches which compared to hydraulic winches eliminate any risk of oil spills and minimize energy consumption – and heavy fuel is a thing of the past as Avataq only sails on Marine Gas Oil.
Explore the Avataq facts here:
Flag and homeport: Greenland, Nuuk
Classifications: DNV 1A1. ICE 1A*
Main dimensions: length: 82,3 m, width: 18 m
Fish finding: 3 Echo sounders, 4 plotters, GPS, Log-system, trawl monitors
Trawl winch: 4 x 40 tons
Processing plant: two line Carsoe plant, optimized for Greenland halibut and prawns
Freezing capacity: 110 tons/day
Deck cranes: Front: 3 tons/10 m., Middle: 5 tons/15 m., After: 7,5 tons/16 m.
Elevator system: For fast unloading of cargo
Main Engine: MAN engine 12L32/44Common Rail 7200 kW, 750 rpm
Auxiliary Engine: 2x Caterpillar C32 1175 KVA
Steam Boiler: 1x Parat Combined oil-fired/exhaust boiler. 3000 kg/hour
Cargo hold: 2950 m³
Tank capacity, marine gas oil: 1360 m³
Hydraulic oil tank: 70,91 m³
Fresh water tank: 224,89 m³
Water maker (desalinator): 25 m³/day
