Northern light

Efficient performance

With its new 6,600 horsepower engines and electric winch configuration, the North Star uses a twin trawl system, pulling two large 550-mesh nets. Josh adds: “There's only one other vessel in Alaska using the twin trawl system, so we're really on the leading edge of this technology and how to adapt it to our fisheries.”

Crucial to the success of the twin trawling system has been the installation of three Kongsberg Maritime trawl winches, which use gearless permanent magnetic electric motors instead of the conventional hydraulic systems.

Josh is very happy with the performance of the new winches. He says: “I've used both high pressure and low-pressure hydraulic systems before and this is the first electrically driven winch system that I've used. The modulation that you get with running the winches and the tension control this gives you on the trawl lines is second to none – it is absolutely amazing. And the ability for the automated system to control the winches in heavy weather is great as I've noticed that I'm able to have much more effective control of the net.”

It’s the consistent tension on the trawl lines that allows Josh to optimise the position of the nets, and this is all helped by the ability of the winches to react instantly to rapidly changing conditions.

“It’s important to keep the tension on the trawl lines exactly the same as the ship heaves and pitches in the sea, and the electric witches can respond really fast. I could not get that degree of control with a high-pressure hydraulic system. 

He adds: “The trawl system has been fantastic; the commissioning of the trawl system and the net handling winches have been the best in my experience, hands down.”

Fuel efficiency and reliability

Jim Johnson, President and CEO of Glacier Fish which manages North Star Fishing Co. says that reliability, safety and sustainability were the key considerations when commissioning the new vessel: “The US fleet fishing the Alaska and Bering Sea fisheries are ageing and we needed a new vessel to keep ahead of the game in terms of the efficiency of our operations and the provision of a good working environment for our crew.

“When you are operating 300 days a year under difficult conditions, offloading and backloading supplies and provisions each two weeks, unfailing reliability is essential for our business. Fuel is a major cost item so we wanted the most fuel-efficient engines and systems we could procure, and with the new deck set up and winches, enabling us to use a twin trawl system, we can increase the efficiency of our catch and thereby reduce our fuel usage per tonne of fish caught.

North Star made a conscious decision to achieve increased energy savings opting for a floating frequency power management system. Accordingly, North Star’s internal power system can run between 50 and 60 hertz, which is a range that provides optimal energy consumption.

Sustainability of our operations is an important consideration in the seas around Alaska but for North Star Fishing Co. it goes beyond the continuing health of the fishing grounds, full utilisation of the catch and energy used to catch a tonne of fish – it also includes the quality of life aboard the North Star. Jim explains: “Our goal is to make our vessel a place where individuals want to make a career out of fishing. To do that, you have to create working and living conditions along with efficiency in our operations that provide strong family wage jobs and a career path. That’s why we designed the hull to reduce the noise and vibration and fitted the vessel with high quality living accommodation with en-suite facilities for each of the living quarters.

“Sustainability to us means many things: the way we conduct our fisheries in accordance with best practices and impacts on the environment, the fuel usage of the vessel itself, and the working and living environment we create on board.

While North Star’s advanced technology makes Josh’s role as a captain easier, he still relies on all his wide experience and knowledge to find fish and judge the conditions for optimum fishing while also considering the safety of his crew.

Safety is always a key consideration when working in some of the most difficult conditions in the world, where winter storms are frequent and severe, and redundancy is a critical consideration. That’s why the North Star is fitted with Kongsberg Maritime’s Take Me Home package, which can reroute the vessel’s auxiliary power to the main propeller system in case of a major power failure. Knowing that also provides peace of mind for the crew.