Yanmar engines power South American live fish carrier

Yanmar has been an important supplier and team member in the design of vessels such as the Orca Yka. Photo: Yanmar

Three Yanmar engines were selected to power the newly christened MV Orca Yka, live fish carrier, which will soon leave the shipyard Larsnes Mek. Verksted AS on its way to South America to new owner Naviera Orca Chile SA. It will operate out of the port of Puerto Montt, Chile, serving the Chilean salmon farming market.

The new live fish carrier will house a 13-strong crew at sea for several weeks at a time, which is longer than typical for this type of operation. The 79.3m by 15m vessel has a capacity of 2800m3 and provides the option for smolt and salmon transport as well as freshwater treatment.

The main propulsion engine for the Orca Yka is the 2999-kW Yanmar 6EY33W. Photo: Yanmar

“She has been built using experience gained from previous vessels for the major Norwegian live fish carrier Rostein AS, which is also part owner of the Naviera Orca,” noted Mathias Tungevåg, project manager for Skipskompetanse AS, an independent Norwegian consultancy and ship design company, which designed the new vessel.

He added that Yanmar has been an important supplier and team member in the vessels’ design. The company offers a full line of variable medium-speed marine propulsion solutions from 368 to 3310 kW, and has been involved in 11 live fish carrier projects supplying both diesel engines and diesel generator sets.

This includes providing two 6EY22ALW generator sets for the Orca Yka to power electric motors for maneuvering, as well as pumps, fish treatment equipment and essentials for fish well-being, such as oxygen production, CO2 removal and water circulation. For propulsion, the vessel will use the 2999-kW Yanmar 6EY33W six-cylinder diesel engine.

Two 6EY22ALW generator sets will power electric motors for maneuvering as well as pumps, fish treatment equipment and essentials for fish well-being. Photo: Yanmar

“On Orca Yka, unlike most of the other live fish carriers, the main propulsion engine is the 6EY33W, which when installed in her sister vessel Ro Sailor last year was the largest engine Yanmar has installed in Europe,” said Tungevåg.

The engine has proven a good fit to the operational profile required for this application. “The Yanmar 6EY33W main propulsion engine with shaft generator includes flexibility with the option to vary the amount of power produced, which provides optimal fuel consumption for the many different operations that these live fish carriers do. We can always operate at the most efficient power and RPM,” said Tungevåg.

The shipyard is completing the finishing touches on the Orca Yka and it is scheduled to set sail for South America soon.