Margret EA caught 2,000 tonnes of blue whiting after waiting for eight days out at sea
Margret EA 710, Samherji's pelagic vessel, sailed into Norðfjörður, Iceland on Monday with 2,000 tonnes of blue whiting caught south of the Faroe Islands. It was a very unusual trip because the crew of Margret EA had to wait eight days out at sea before fishing began.
Margret EA 710 left the port in Akureyri on April 6th. After a short stopover in the Faroe Islands, the vessel headed out to sea. Due to the lack of availability of fish on the fishing grounds and restrictions on the number of Icelandic vessels in the zone south of the Faroe Islands, Margret EA had to drift for eight days until fishing began. Waiting for this long, without any activity, is quite unusual and probably unheard of in these areas. The crew of Margret EA finally started fishing on April 16 and caught a full load in two days.
The Covid-19 pandemic played a significant role in this unconventional trip and the long wait at sea is a manifestation of the fact that unusual times call for unusual measures. The crew had been screened for Covid-19 prior to departure, so it was not considered feasible to return home to Iceland and try again later when conditions were better. "We were all very comfortable. We just waited and were in a fine quarantine aboard the vessel. There was no lack of entertainment to shorten the hours waiting," says Guðmundur Jónsson captain of Margret EA.
Margret EA 710 is a pelagic ship with a crew of nine. The vessel was built in Flekkefjord in Norway in 1996 but was lengthened in 2009. The maximum length of the ship is 73 meters and the width is about 13 meters. Samherji acquired the vessel in 2015.
