News Release

When you think of Urk, fishing is the first thing that comes to mind. For decades, the former island has been home to Europe's largest flatfish fleet. However, it has been over 20 years since a newly built fishing vessel was launched there. The young shipyard Werft Shipbuilding is changing that and has chosen Yanmar as a reliable engine supplier. A unique, Dutch-crafted partnership made in Flevoland.

Local expertise and international ambitions

In a new shipyard in Urk, Werft Shipbuilding brings together many years of experience from local partners in shipbuilding, engineering and fishing. The shipyard's goals are ambitious and future-oriented: building and refurbishing ships while paying full attention to current requirements for sustainability, circularity, and modular construction. And not just for the Urk fishery and the Netherlands, as the shipyard also aims to attract foreign clients, including from Scandinavia.

Another ambition is to create jobs for Urk and retain fishing knowledge in the area.

Janneke and Yanmar

One of the recent projects is the design and construction of a new beam trawler, Janneke, for the shipping company De Toekomst (Z575). Three aspects are important for the propulsion of this ship: an engine with low fuel consumption, powerful torque to bring a large catch to land, and a mechanical engine with minimal electronics to allow user maintenance. The shipping company specifically opted for a Yanmar engine. For Pieter Pruiksma, General Manager of Werft Shipbuilding, this marks the start of an attractive new collaboration.

Prominent in the fishing world

"Through collaboration with Yanmar, Werft aims to stand out in the market. Yanmar is a major brand in international fishing. I have known Yanmar for years and have great confidence in the quality of their products, as well as our cooperation. The fact that most of the Scottish and Scandinavian fishing fleet works with Yanmar speaks for itself", says Pruiksma.

Made in Flevoland, Holland

Eric Tigelaar, Department Manager at Yanmar Marine, adds: "Yanmar is committed to partnership and sustainable relationships based on mutual trust, loyalty and respect. As two Flevoland companies, we are closely linked. In addition, Yanmar is happy to give something back to the local communities where we work. Together with Werft, we are boosting the local economy and thinking about a successful future for young people in the form of opportunities for maritime training in Urk."

Construction of the first beam trawler with a 6N21A-UW Yanmar main engine will start in October. The brand-new trawler is expected to be launched in the summer of 2024.

Yanmar 6N21A-UW
Medium-speed propulsion engine
Output/rpm: 736 kW @ 800 rpm
Classification: BV-AUT-UMS, IMO TIER II