Arpège: a launching without any wrong note

 

The result of 24 months of studies and developments, the diesel-electric fishing trawler prototype, ARPEGE, has been launched the 3rd of September 2015 in Boulogne-sur-Mer. Her owner, Alexis Hagneré, was there along with the project’s partners, the ADEME’s representatives and local authorities.

Arpège, the project and the partners

After being conceived and studied by MAURIC, and then built by SOCARENAM during 18 months, this trawler of the future announces a new concept of fishing vessel, safer, more profitable and energy-efficient.

This project, supported by “Agence de l’Environnement et de la Maitrise de l’Energie - ADEME”, has been notified in 2013 thanks to a financial support of 2 million Euros, on a total Research and Development project budget of 8.2 million Euros, from the French government as part of the program named “Investments for the Future”. The project objectives were the design of a diesel-electric fishing trawler of 24.95 meters in length and 8.5 meters in breadth and the construction of a full-scale prototype to test it at sea in real fishing conditions.

After some commissioning tests, ARPEGE will be delivered to the shipowner Alexis Hagneré from Etaples harbor from the end of October 2015. She will be used for exploitation during 6 months. The objective is to gather a maximum of feedback in order to launch, later, an entire range of generic polyvalent trawlers. This ambitious project is the result of the collaboration of some partners who are : 

• SOCARENAM : Shipyard in charge of the building of the prototype
  
• Bureau MAURIC : Naval architect, in charge of design and technical coordination of the studies
  
• ENAG : Electrician, in charge of the studies and supply of the power plant and electric propulsion
  

An innovative Fishing Vessel

ARPEGE is a mass of innovation in order to offer a fishing tool safer, more efficient and more profitable. The complete architecture of the vessel has been reworked from standards (of the profession) to integrate different innovative solutions. The aim was to conceive a polyvalent fishing vessel able to do a demersal trawl, Danish seine or pelagic trawl in order to consider a diversification of fishing activities according to the quotas or rules in effect.
The main innovations are relating to :

• Hydrodynamic performances optimization by choosing a two-shaft line + 2 FPP propulsion arrangement allowing reducing the size of the propellers and to increase their efficiency, and an optimization of the hull volume distribution in order to reduce the vessel’s hydrodynamic resistance and to improve the seakeeping performances.
• The integration of Diesel-electric power architecture on board a vessel of less than 25m in length, allowing switching from 3 energy vectors (hydraulic, mechanical and electric) to only one energy vector (electric) to optimize the vessel global energetic consumption (propulsion, fishing trawls, other energy consumers on board) by using in particular two variable frequency diesel generators.
• A PMS integration enabling a dynamic and centralized management of the energetic chain, that will adjust the power production to the instant requirements or will propose solutions to the master to reduce its power consumption.
• A decision support tool monitoring and piloting all the electric consumers on board, in order to optimize at every instant the power consumption, to shut down the equipment not used or to propose solutions for power reduction to the master.

• A trajectory optimization’s tool that allows, by differentiating the power available at each propeller and by a coupling with the autopilot, to adapt optimally the vessel’s trajectory without action on the rudders and consequently without deteriorating the vessel’s hydrodynamic resistance.
• The separation of working and living area in order to improve the living and working conditions on board (sheltered working area under the main deck to have fishermen protected from the environmental conditions and the dangerous cables and trawls areas, sorting room close to the fish hold, on the same deck in order to facilitate the work of the fishermen and to optimize the fish manipulation and storage conditions and larger living quarters in the forward half of the vessel).
• Liquid ice system allowing optimizing the preservation of the fishing capture. This allows keeping the best quality of fishing capture and optimizing their selling price.
• Integration of the SEAPIX hook risks’ detection sonar with a dedicated software for improving the safety onboard