(Vigo, Spain) – August 5, 2023 – Wanchese Argentina, a subsidiary of Wanchese Fish Company, has christened its new Argentine scallop vessel, the Erin Bruce II, at a ceremony in Vigo, Spain. It is the biggest new build of a factory freezer trawler in the Argentine fishery and the first to be constructed specifically for the scallop fishery. The vessel will set sail for Argentina shortly and is expected to be in operation in Argentine waters in the first quarter of the 2024 season.

“This new vessel is designed to be fuel efficient, offer modern accommodations for the crew, and leverage new technology and equipment to find new efficiencies in our harvesting and processing,” said Ross Butler, CEO of Cooke Seafood USA. “We are excited to welcome the Erin Bruce II to our fleet and we will continue to replace and modify vessels in the coming years as part of our ongoing renewal plan.”

The Erin Bruce, built in 1978, was the first and pioneer vessel in the Argentine scallop fleet. The new vessel, built by Astilleros Armon shipyard in Spain, will honour the name and continue the legacy of the original.

The new vessel has a carrying capacity of 400 cubic metres, and can accommodate up to 37 crew members. A number of new features were added during construction that will allow Wanchese to exceed regulatory standards and better meet the growing needs of customers, including grading machine; processing electronics; electronic winches and autotrawl; radars, echo sounders, and trawling sensors in doors and nets.

Patagonian scallops will be harvested year-round by the Erin Bruce II and frozen-at-sea within an hour of harvest to ensure maximum freshness. The Argentine scallop fishery is fully certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC).

The Erin Bruce II is the second vessel in our Argentine fleet to be built under the Wanchese renewal plan. It is 50.5 meters in length and 12 meters in total width.

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About Wanchese Fish Company
Wanchese Fish Company is a division of Cooke Seafood USA. A seafood harvester, processor, and distributor, Wanchese is capable of harvesting over 6,000 tons of seafood products each year.

Contact:
Joel Richardson
Vice President Public Relations
Cooke Inc./ for Cooke Seafood USA and Wanchese Fish Company
+1 (506) 721-1093
Joel.richardson@cookeaqua.com

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