Omega Protein Corp. has christened two new vessels, the Rappahannock and the Fleeton, in a 18 May ceremony at the company’s Reedville, Va. facility, according to the company.
The vessels, designed to fish menhaden, are the first to be christened by the company in more than 20 years.
"These two vessels allow us to harvest menhaden in a more efficient and environmentally conscious capacity,” said Omega Protein CEO Bret Scholtes. “It also allows us to better preserve those fish and conduct our operations in a safer way.”
The Rappahannock, named after a native American tribe that has ties to Virginia, was built in 1982 and is 196' x 40', making it the largest vessel operated by Omega Protein in 2013. The Fleeton is 184' x 38' and was built in 1976.
Both vessels were originally used as offshore supply vessels in the Gulf of Mexico. The company bought the vessels and retro-fitted them into modern menhaden fishing vessels. Among the updates, the company removed the vessels’ large fuel tanks and replaced them with fish storage containers.
Omega Protein is a nutritional product company, and produces omega-3 fish oil and specialty protein products.
