French orders to foreign shipyards

84
Croix du Sud,
toothfish vessel,
633 grt,
blt 1987
by Molde Verft,
lenghtened by
Chantiers Piriou
in 1999, owned
by Sapmer
In other oceans, catches were generally abundant. The
following consequences came about as a result of this
situation:
• Catches were excessive regarding to tuna transformation
industries processing capacities, which are augmenting
only gradually.
• Prices have fallen to their lowest point in twenty years,
to $400 cif Bangkok, compared to the former low of
$600 and a high of $1,200.
• Huge reserves of frozen tuna have been amassed in
refrigerated warehouses in Thailand, Korea, Ecuador and
Spain (in Galicia).
The main facts concerning refrigerated tuna freezer seiners
are as follows:
• Very few vessels are on order. Their total number is
estimated at seven, mainly for Spanish or dual nation
registration. Two are on line for GIE France Thon, ordered
through the Piriou shipyard at Concarneau. The
significant factor for 1999 was the increase in size of ships
ordered: now jumbo boats are more than 3,000 cbm of
tank capacity.
• With low tuna prices, few second-hand deals are
underway. Two notable exceptions are the “Gombessa”
and the “Avel Huel”, sold to Ghanaian buyers.
The other major event of 1999 was the sale of Saupiquet
Armement, a subsidiary of the Saupiquet Company,
to the Italian company Trinity.
The worldwide fleet of large tuna freezer seiners (i.e., with
a capacity superior to 850 cbm) is currently estimated at
380 ships. The principal shipowner countries are:
Japan 32 vessels Mexico 43 vessels
Korea 30 vessels Equator 40 vessels
Taiwan 36 vessels Spain 55 vessels
United States 48 vessels France 28 vessels
This fleet generates a potential harvest of over 3 million tons
of the different tuna species per year, including Yellowfin,
Skipjack, Bigeye, Albacore - Bluefin is considered apart.
Toothfish: background and trends
Another event occurring in world fishing was the increase
in toothfish catches, a species that varies in weight from
4 to 80 kilos. This fish is caught mainly in southern waters,
ranging from Reunion, Mauritius, South Africa, Chile,
Argentina and New Zealand through to Southern Georgia,
Bouvet, Crouzet and the Kerguelen Archipelago.
Toothfish is highly prized on the Japanese and US markets,
where prices have reached up to $14,000 per ton.
Toothfish are caught using longliners in difficult waters,
requiring the use of processing ships of more than 50
meters length, which are capable of running main lines
and dry freesing of fish to -40°C.