THE latest vessel from Irish yard Mooney Boats has been completed in Killybegs with the involvement of a number of companies from the Co.Donegal port.

She is Eternal Dawn skippered by Kevin Boyle built on a hull from Poland. However, other companies involved in her construction include K.E.R - refrigeration; KT Nets and Swan Net-Gundry - fishing gear; Barry Electronics - wheelhouse electronics; and Coastal Hydraulics, all of which are Killybegs-based.

Michael Mooney of Mooney Boats tells FNI: "The main objective in this project was to keep all the work local and to prove to ourselves that we can compete in the market."

The 22.75 x 8 x 4.4 metre inshore vessel Eternal Dawn was built for Fintra Trawling to replace a similarly styled, slightly smaller trawler of the same name. She was built at Killybegs in 2001 and was also skippered by Kevin Boyle.

The new Eternal Dawn is designed as a multi-purpose vessel capable of single boat trawling or twin-rigging when targeting groundfish or prawns, plus mid-water pairtrawling when catching albacore tuna, sprats, herring and mackerel.

Her layout is designed for handling all of her catches over the transom stern. This arrangement worked on the original Eternal Dawn and was specified again by the owner.

Two of her split trawl winches are mounted on top of the shelterdeck forward of the wheelhouse, with the third winch positioned centrally aft on the main deck.

Two net drums are located aft of the shelterdeck, lying across the full beam of the vessel above the open quarter.

Catches of demersal species are bagged over the port side of the transom before being released into a hopper. They are then transported forward by conveyor for sorting and gutting.

Pelagic fish are pumped to pass through a pipe along the portside of the shelterdeck leading to the fishroom.

Eternal Dawn - specification

ENGINEROOM

Main engine: Cat 3508 of 485 kW at 1300 rpm driving through a Reintjes 6:1 reduction gearbox to a 2022 mm diameter, four-bladed, propeller.

Speed: 11.5 knots.

Auxiliary engines: Cat 3406; Deutz harbour genset. Bow thruster: Thrustmaster 120kW.

DECK MACHINERY

Suppliers: Mooney (Boats) Ltd. and Coastal Hydraulics, Killybegs.

Three split trawl winches 12 tonnes; 2 x net drums 10t; gilson winch 10t; Guerra powerblock and landing cranes; Iras fish pump.

FISH HANDLING/FISHROOM

Fish handling system: Mooney (Boats) Ltd. , Killybegs. Fishroom chilling: KER Refrigeration, Killybegs. Ice machine: Optimar.

ELECTRONICS

Supplier: Barry Electronics Ltd. , Killybegs, Co. Donegal.

Fish detection Simrad EQ 60 dual frequency 38/200 kHz and Furuno FCV 1100L 50 kHz echo sounders; Furuno FSV 24 low frequency 24 kHz and Furuno CSH 73 high frequency 180 kHz sonars; Scanmar RX 400 net monitoring system with distance and catch sensors.

Navigation Furuno FAR 2117 X-Band Arpa and Furuno FR 1832 Mk. 2 radars; Furuno GP 32 GPS navigator and Furuno GP 37 DGPS navigator; Sodena Turbo Win and Sodena Easy Win plotters with 19 in. LCD monitors; Simrad AP 50 autopilot with thruster interface autopilot.

Communications Furuno FS1570 MF/HF DSC GMDSS r/t; Icom M601 DSC VHF; Icom M503 VHF; Icom IC F201 private UHF; Simrad Axis 30 portable GMDSS VHF; Furuno NX 300 Navtex;

Globalstar satellite phone; Jotron 40S/FB4 EPIRB; Jotron SART; Phontech 10 station intercom system; Neovo 15 in. CCTV system with four cameras; Omnimax TV antenna and TV distribution system.

FISHING GEAR

Warp supplier: Swan Net-Gundry, Killybegs - 700 fm x 20 mm diameter steel core wire. Net suppliers: KT Nets, Killybegs - pelagic mid-water pair trawl; Swan Net-Gundry, Killybegs - 3 x 55 fm double bosum scraper trawls.

Trawl doors: Morgere Polyfoil 750kg. Clump: Morgere Le Clump 850 kg.

ACCOMMODATION

Two x single berth, one x 2 berth and one x 4 berth cabins.

GENERAL

Engine controls: Kobelt.

Finance: Bank of Ireland.

Insurance: Marsh Ireland Ltd.

Lifesaving appliances: Atlantic Marine, Killybegs. Paint: Jotun.

Skipper's chair: NorSap. Steering: Mooney (Boats) Ltd. Windows: CC Jensen.

News

Port combines to build Eternal Dawn