The F/V Hadassa, 75 meters long and 15 meters wide, replaces the F/V Baffin Bay, which caught fire and sank in the port of Vigo in December 2020.
Launch day was described as very emotional but also successful for the companies and individuals involved. On the occasion, a small ceremony was held in which shareholders, family members, staff as well as crew members and members and leaders of the Armon shipyard participated. Relatives of crew members of the F/V Castelo also joined, the fishing vessel chartered to replace the Baffin Bay and currently working in the waters of the Falkland Islands.
The next stage of the brand new fishing vessel, which cost several million Euros, is to complete its equipment at the shipyard, awaiting final delivery to its owners towards the end of the last quarter of this year. After sea trials, the crew of the F/V Hadassa will join in January 2025, with the expectation that she will arrive at the port of Stanley soon to participate in the first season of the Loligo squid towards the end of February 2025.
The managing director of Beauchene Fishing Company Ltd., Cheryl Roberts, commenting on the operation, stated that, “this investment is a manifestation of security and commitment to the Falklands fishery and to the economy of our Islands.”