WE HAVE already seen the first victims of top-dollar fuel prices. The North Sea beam trawler fleet – once one of the most efficient and profitable types of vessels as well as the most fuel-hungry – will probably have disappeared entirely within a year.
There are already plenty of beamers tied up in spite of good fishing and prices.
Over the past few years beamer operators have put a great deal of effort and innovation into mitigating their fuel consumption, including using cruise controls to keep fuel usage steady instead of simply putting the hammer down as we did before.
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