On October 13, 2023, the Canadian shipowner Qikiqtaaluk Fisheries Corporation (“QFC”) announced that it has reached a deal to purchase a new fishing trawler, the Saputi II. This will be built by Freire Shipyard, in Vigo, Spain.
The new vessel will be a factory-freezer fishing trawler, able to keep up to 750 tonnes of shrimp and 1,100 tonnes of turbot frozen until the ship returns to port. It will measure nearly 80 metres long with a beam of 17 metres.
QFC is a major participant in the Canadian shellfish and groundfish industries, providing premium cold-water seafood to national and international markets. It seeks to maximize Inuit employment on land and at sea.
Miller Thomson advised QFC, together with Allswater Marine Consultants Ltd., Dubuc Osland (Ottawa, ON), Mackinnons (Aberdeen, UK) and AyF Abogados (Vigo, Spain). The Miller Thomson team was led by Louis Amato-Gauci (Marine Law: Shipbuilding) and comprised of Kenneth Rosenstein and Shaun Parekh (Financial Services), Jaclyne Reive and Chloe Kyrtsakas (Marine Law: Regulatory).
