ENTERPRISE HYDRAULIC INSTALLATION
Read about how newbuilding no. 368, Enterprise III BF-1 was equipped with the latest deck equipment to catch fish in the deep water close to Ireland.
Enterprise III – a trawler built by Vestværftet has now gone fishing
Today, new fishing vessels are equipped with the most modern facilities such as luxurious accommodation for their crew, efficient working conditions and not least high-tech fishing equipment. The fishing vessels from Vestværftet are always custom made for the individual customer and designed to perform according to each skippers fishing method. It therefore requires an extreme amount of time, planning and resources when building a new fishing vessel. It typically takes several years from the time a ship owner contacts Vestværftet with the desire to build a new vessel until the vessel is finished and ready to go fishing.
James Lovie and his partners contacted Vestværftet a few years ago to discuss the possibilities of having a new fishing vessel designed and built. This was the start of a good collaboration, with the common goal of having a new state-of-the-art 28 meter stern trawler built.
After several years of work regarding planning, design and construction of the hull, design and building of equipment, the ship was handed over to the ship owners.
They completed a successful fishing sea trial, where they afterwards sailed across the North Sea to their home port in Fraserburgh, located in the northern part of Scotland.
After a short stay in the ship's home port, it is time to go fishing where fishing equipment such as winches, trawl drums and hydraulic systems must prove their worth. It is extremely important that the hydraulic system works well, as they fish in deep water and often in rough weather. Under these conditions, it is crucial to have equipment that can handle the fishing gear safely and efficiently.
If you rewind the time a little to when the shipping company ordered their newbuilding, after thorough preparation they chose that the deck equipment should be supplied by MacGregor and AS SCAN should be responsible for the comprehensive hydraulic installation.
About the hydraulic installation
The Enterprise III is equipped with a very comprehensive hydraulic system. The vessel has been fitted with 20 winches in various sizes, which are connected to the hydraulic system with over 2,500 meters of hydraulic pipes in sizes up to 5" in diameter.
The deck equipment has been fitted with powerful hydraulic motors, which are driven by 6 pcs. PTO power pack mounted on the main gearbox. The power pack can circulate impressive 8,200 liter of oil per minute.
In addition to the main hydraulic system, an electro-hydraulic unit with 2 pcs. electric motors/pumps are installed. This makes the system more flexible as you can use the electric pumps to drive the deck equipment at reduced power/speed without engaging the PTOs.
AS SCAN's main tasks on the Enterprise III project were the following:
- Winch mounting and alignment on foundations
- Installation of pipes, valves and pumps
- Cleaning and flushing of hydraulic system
- Start-up and testing, as well as fishing sea trials
Facts about deck equipment
Many winches were to be used for this ship, where the following MacGregor winches of various sizes and configurations were fitted and installed:
- 3 of split trawl winches, capacity 2250 meters, 26mm wire, 30 ton pull on 1st layer
- 3 of split sweep winches, 20 ton pull on 1st layer
- 3 of bagging winches, 12 ton pull on 1st layer
- 2 of cod end winches, 10 ton pull on 1st layer
- 2 of gilson winches, 12 ton pull on 1st layer
- 2 of gantry/outhaul winches, 6 ton pull on 1st layer
- 1 of forward gear handling winch, 8 ton pull on 1st layer
- 1 of unloading crane, type SeaQuest, knuckle boom, 10m, 20 ton/m
- 1 of mooring winch, 170 m 40mm wire
- 1 of hydraulic drive system with remote control and automatic trawl system
Scantrol trawl computer
The deck equipment on the Enterprise III can be controlled from the wheelhouse by the SYM 7 Autotrawl from Scantrol. It is a trawl computer that allows the skipper to control the symmetry of the fishing equipment.
The split winches automatically adjust the wire length to even out the pressure on each individual winch. The symmetry system is designed to focus on keeping the trawl opening square and making the water flow directly into the opening, so it fishes most efficiently. SYM7 will keep your net square even when fishing in difficult conditions such as slopes or strong tides and be used in both single- and multi trawl setups.
Video of Enterprise III before test trial
Vestværftet newbuilding no. 368, equipped with the latest deck equipment to catch fish in the deep water close to Ireland.
Facts about Enterprise III:
Main dimensions:
Length overall: 28.67 meters
Length between pp: 23.66 meters
Breadth moulded: 10.00 meters
Technical equipment
Main engine: ABC 6DZ, 736kW
Gearbox: Hundested, CPG 280-2 reduction gear
Propeller: 3,400mm four-blade variable pitch
Bow thruster: Hundested, SFT bow thruster, 250hp
Engine control system: Lyngaa
Auxiliary engines: 2 of Caterpillar C 9.3, 244kVa
Steering gear: AS SCAN, MT 3500 with 2 of el-hydraulic pump units
Rudder: triple rudder system
Capacities:
Fuel capacity: 70m3
Fresh water: 16m3
Process water: 25m3
Fish hold capacity: 215m3
On fishing trial with BF-1 Enterprise III
Our technician had taken some nice video shots of a fishing test trial with Vestvaerftet new building, Enterprise III BF-1. On this test trial hydraulic system and winch equipment are tested in deep waters. You get an insight into how a stern trawler from Scotland handles their fishing gear, which is very different from Scandinavian trawlers.
Pictures of Enterprise
Photos taken shortly before delivery of newbuilding to the owners.
