The vessel Arctic Opilio, is as this is written, sailing off Egersund on Norway’s south coast, on its way to the northern city of Tromsø. It is a ship built as a seismic surveying ship servicing the oil- and gas industry, now rebuilt and converted to Norway’s most advanced crab vessel.
Arctic Opilio arrived at Hirtshals Yard in Denmark last year. The vessels were then named Bjørkhaug. Now, the 56-meter long vessel, is rebuilt and equipped with a top modern crab processing factory. The crab is butchered, and divided into claw sections, before being cooked, frozen and packed.
While many crab vessels are tied up, awaiting better fishing opportunities, and some even being sold or being put up for sale by their owners, the owners of Arctic Opilio have taken every effort to have the state-of-the-art vessels ready when the Russian zone of “Donut-hole” in the Barents Sea again opens for harvest of Snowcrabs. The owners of Arctic Opilio have invested around EUR 15 million in the vessel.
Kystmagasinet has visited the vessel and will publish a feature on the crab vessel in the next edition.
utdrag av kystmagasinet idag..
https://www.kystmagasinet.no/news-in-english/seismic-vessel-rebuilt-as-a-crab-vessel/