Skipper Mark Lovie took delivery of the new twin-rig stern trawler Venture III BF 326 in August 2017. The Venture III has the distinction of being the biggest fishing vessel completed to date by Macduff Shipyards Ltd. At 29.9m LOA and 10.5m of beam, the Venture III is one of the most advanced Whitefish vessels to ever join the UK fleet. Venture III is powered by a MaK 8M20C main engine that drives a 3100mm-diameter CP propeller through a Mekanord 580HS 6.06:1 reduction gearbox. The vessel also incorporates a number of new ideas, including hydraulically-operated towing blocks that can be moved up to 1200mm longitudinally from the stern position. Venture III features twin stern ramps and an advanced catch-handling system.
Built in partnership with the Don Fishing Co, completion of the Venture III continues a long relationship between the Don and the Lovie family. The BF326 registration displayed on the vessel spans 4 generations of Lovie fishing vessels, dating back to Mark’s grandfather James who skippered the seine-netter Utilise BF326. The vessel has a working capacity of 1,400 boxes and will operate out of the port of Kinlochbervie; fishing in the deeper waters North West of Scotland. The vessel will generally fish in a 250 mile radius to the West and North of the vessel’s home port, occasionally making seasonal trips to Rockall. The vessels catch will be landed and sold at the Kinlochbervie Fish Market, where the daily evening auction is conducted by Don Fishing.