The Galician shipyard Nodosa Shipyard delivered a new vessel to Orion Fishing Company last Thursday 26th; a consortium made up of British and Spanish companies -in this specific case, with Galician capital-; to operate from next January and with an illegal English license, in the fishing ground of the Malvinas Islands.
Flying the Malvinas flag; FK-2402 , the launching of the 'Argos Berbés' was attended by some 300 people. Among them, the owners of the ship and the fishing business sector; but also by the mayor of Marín, María Ramallo , the president of the Port Authority of Marín, José Benito Suárez , Manuel Ángel García of the Maritime Captaincy of Vigo , Patricia Sánchez, deputy director of Strategy and Cooperation of the European Agency , and the regional minister of the Sea, Alfonso Villares ; authority appointed by the government of President Pedro Sánchez Pérez-Castejón . A display of officials from different institutional hierarchies, which give official character to the political decision of Spain in general and the autonomous community of Galicia in particular; to be accomplices and participants in the profits of the fishing plunder led by the United Kingdom of Great Britain, in Argentine waters of the South Atlantic. The same as the European Union official, whose countries are the largest consumers of the resource that is stolen from the Argentine Nation.
In his speech, ignoring all the expressions of support from the Spanish State before the United Nations for Argentine sovereignty over the Malvinas Islands and in reciprocity from the Argentine Republic for Gibraltar, the Minister of the Sea, Alfonso Villares said that the new ship “is a clear example of the potential of the maritime-fishing industry, which contributes to the socio-economic development of the community and is considered a benchmark within the framework of the European Union in terms of job creation, business competitiveness and food supply.”
What the Spanish press says
The new ship 'Argos Berbés' will set sail in early 2025 towards the waters of the Malvinas. Specifically, "its first campaign will be in the Malvina Islands , a historically well-managed fishing ground whose decisions have always been based on science."
The new ship, launched this Thursday at the Nodosa shipyard in the port of Marín, stands out for being at the forefront of sustainability and efficiency.
In fact, it has been designed by the technical office of Nodosa Shipyard in close collaboration with Armadora Pereira, (one of its owners), placing special emphasis on the safety and comfort of its crew, respect for the environment, energy efficiency and the quality of the final product.
The vessel is equipped with various equipment to mitigate the incidental mortality of birds and other marine species with equipment designed for fishing and processing Patagonian squid in the Malvinas fishing ground.
With a gross register of 2,499 tons, 85 meters in length and 14 meters in width , it is equipped with a processing plant with different means of freezing and for obtaining the final product in different formats, mainly Patagonian squid.
The hull, with an optimized design and a characteristic inverted bow, has been designed to perform optimally in any sea condition, especially in adverse weather conditions, thus improving the safety of its crew and reducing fuel consumption.
However, the Galician shipyard Nodosa Shipyard and Orion Fishing Company LTD , a joint venture between the Vigo-based Armadora Pereira SA and the Kelper company Argos Group LTD , held the launching ceremony of the ship on Thursday, thus continuing its fleet renewal process, which was initiated with the construction of the 'Argos Cíes' in 2018.
In the words of José Enrique Pereira Molares, president of Armadora Pereira : “It is a source of pride to continue investing with our partners at Argos Group in the renewal of our fleet and in a fishing ground with a target species as relevant to us as the Patagonian squid. A model fishing ground for sustainability and responsible fishing.”
For her part, Sheila Stewart, director of Argos Group , highlighted that “ the construction of the 'Argos Berbés' reaffirms our solid relationship with Armadora Pereira, a company that has been in existence for more than 30 years and continues to generate employment and wealth in our communities.”
Finally, in the words of José Ramón Regueira, commercial director of Nodosa Shipyard , “it is an honour to design and build in a completely customised way such technologically advanced and environmentally friendly vessels for shipowners who understand that quality and sustainability are the way forward, and where NODOSA is fully involved”.
The activity of the Pereira Group
The Pereira Group has been fishing for 70 years. It catches 120 species with its more than 20 vessels and has a clear export vocation that is mainly limited to the countries of Mauritania, Senegal, Namibia, South Africa and Argentina, illegally with a license from the British colony that usurps the Malvinas Islands.
There are currently 500 active vessels owned by Spanish and Galician companies that supply 500,000 tonnes of high-quality marine protein each year to an EU that is increasingly dependent on third parties for supplies.
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