Marine

Dutch fishing trawler trades fumes for volts

Dutch fishing trawler trades fumes for volts
The Trondheim 40 electric trawler
The Trondheim 40 electric trawler
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The Trondheim 40 electric trawler
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The Trondheim 40 electric trawler
The Trondheim 40 will feature two Torqeedo brand Deep Blue i 1,400-rpm electric motors
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The Trondheim 40 will feature two Torqeedo brand Deep Blue i 1,400-rpm electric motors
The Trondheim 40 will sleep six
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The Trondheim 40 will sleep six 
The Trondheim 40 will have a range of up to 2,500 nautical miles (4.630 km)
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The Trondheim 40 will have a range of up to 2,500 nautical miles (4.630 km)
The Trondheim 40's metal hull should allow it to safely enter shallow and/or icy areas, such as Alaskan or Norwegian fjords
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The Trondheim 40's metal hull should allow it to safely enter shallow and/or icy areas, such as Alaskan or Norwegian fjords
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When most of us think of leisure-style fishing trawlers, chances are that we don't envision something clean-running and quiet. That's what the folks at Amsterdam's Trondheim Trawlers are developing, however, in the form of the Trondheim 40 electric trawler.

The 40-ft (12-m) vessel will feature two Torqeedo brand Deep Blue i 1,400-rpm electric motors, which will be powered by two battery packs. One charge of those batteries should reportedly be good for six hours of cruising.

Needless to say, though, fishing expeditions can last longer than six hours. For that reason, there will also be two Torqeedo diesel-powered generators on board. These will produce electricity both to run the motors, and to recharge the batteries.

As compared to non-electric boats of the same size and fuel capacity (3,500 l/925 US gal), such a combination of running under battery power and generator power should allow the trawler to have a 30 percent longer range – it can go up to 2,500 nautical miles (4,630 km). Additionally, due to their acoustic shielding, the generators are claimed to be 40 percent less noisy than a full-on diesel engine. They'll also take up less space, allowing more room for storage.

The Trondheim 40 will feature two Torqeedo brand Deep Blue i 1,400-rpm electric motors
The Trondheim 40 will feature two Torqeedo brand Deep Blue i 1,400-rpm electric motors

The Trondheim 40 itself will sleep six people, and is designed to withstand high waves and winds. Its metal hull should allow it to safely enter shallow and/or icy areas, such as Alaskan or Norwegian fjords.

According to the rep we spoke to, arrangements have already been made to build the first hull at a shipyard in the Netherlands. That said, the company is still looking for investors, and can be contacted via the link below.

Source: Trondheim Trawlers

View gallery - 5 images
7 comments
7 comments
IceFireOpals
Although it's built by Trondheim Trawlers, its clearly a pleasure craft and not a fishing boat. So why is it called a "trawler"?
marineshade
"Its metal hull should allow it to safely enter shallow and/or icy areas, such as Alaskan or Norwegian fjords." Not quite sure about Alaska, but I can assure you that Norwegian Fjords are neither shallow nor icy.
splatman
I smell a rat.
Trondheim Trawlers, pictured with a Norwegian flag, claimed above to be a Dutch company. WhoIS search reveals trondheimtrawlers.com is registered to a Moscow address. The website is totally silent about the company's origins, but offers "investment opportunities".
So who are they??????????????????????
CliffG
Trawler yacht, maybe, but this is no commercial fishing boat.
Jason Catterall
How about mentioning the horsepower and KW/h specs? RPM is pretty useless to give us any idea what this boat is all about.
Peter Kelly
"... such a combination of running under battery power and generator power should allow the trawler to have a 30 percent longer range – it can go up to 2,500 nautical miles..."?
Simple physics would cast doubt on the range claim. There is no 'regeneration' for otherwise lost energy driving a boat and the very fact you would need an extra energy conversion would make it less efficient (or have they managed to break the laws of conservation of energy?).
Then we have the question of reporting...
There is no 'can go up to 2,500 nautical miles'. It doesn't exist. It is a design exercise, only (and a very bad one).
RecycledSalt
@IceFireOpals trawler is the designation given to power driven pleasure vessels with a displacement type hull.
This is a Nowegian design, to be built by a Dutch shipyard. It is powered by two 80 hp electrics, with two 65 kWh batteries & two 25 kW diesel generators.