Yellow Fin

As featured in Professional Fisherman, August 2002
'Yellow Fin, a 20 metre tuna longliner with a spectacularly appropriate paint job has been turning heads wherever it has made port since its delivery in November 2001. Based in Noumea, 'Yellow Fin' has attracted interest in the Pacific Ocean from Australia to Hawaii.

Originally conceived by Allan Barnett for his own fishing interests, the final design of Yellow Fin was created by naval architect Alan Muir with input from the shipyard, Allan Barnett Fishing Co., Bridport, Tasmania.

Like several of the shipyard's past projects, construction was started for Allan Barnett but Yellow Fin was sold before completion to French owner Albacore based in Noumea, New Caledonia.

Albacore required 'Yellow Fin' to be dedicated to tuna longlining with the aim of delivering the highest quality catch. The shipyard had to put all its 12 years of experience into ensuring 'Yellow Fin' was completed to some new and exacting standards. That they succeeded has been proved by the dramatic increase in inquires received by the shipyard from the central Pacific region.

Due to local survey requirements Yellow Fin had to be equipped with GMDSS radio communications and it had to be issued with a French Load Line certificate, both unusual requirements for this shipyard. The New Caledonian authorities contacted classification society Bureau Veritas in Sydney to arrange the survey and BV in turn appointed Hobart surveyor Chris Wells to monitor the build and provide the final measurements just before launch. The build was also monitored by Marine and Safety Tasmania surveyors for the USL survey.

The owner selected a Caterpillar main engine and the shaft line drives a conventional three-bladed propeller. The rudder, however, is of the articulating type, custom built by the shipyard. The full over angle to port and starboard is not restricted to 30 degrees and the result of this and the articulation provides almost transverse thrust when manoeuvring. Simrad electronic equipment was selected by the owner, who also required the accommodation to be fully air-conditioned. The accommodation will cater for up to eight crew but the usual complement is five to six. The shipyard built the interior to suit tropical conditions and the Kelvinator air-conditioning equipment was installed by Northern Refrigeration.

The type of fishing dictated the refrigeration equipment and hence the size of the electrical generators. The refrigeration capacity, although flexible in deployment, is expected to be used essentially as follows: the two 10-tonne and one five-tonne holds as brine tanks to accept the catch, the three tonne blast freezer (-45C) backs onto the 20-tonne main hold (-30C) and once frozen the catch is passed from the blast freezer to the hold via an internal hatch.

The interest being shown in this Tasmanian designed and built craft stems largely from Allan Barnett's wish to maintain a small group of shipbuilders, dedicated to work of the highest quality. The shipyard employs only 12 people and some of those employees have been with the company since it delivered its first fishing boat in 1990. From design, through build to outfit, Allan Barnett oversees tight control of the high standards he expects from his employees, suppliers and a dedicated band of subcontractors from around Tasmania. Since delivering Yellow Fin, Allan Barnett has built a sistership Kaybeanna for his own, original fishing interests. The shipyard recently laid the keel of a third hull in this series due for delivery at the end of the first quarter of 2003.'