A contract to build one of the largest and most eco-friendly commercial fishing vessels constructed in the United States has been signed by Alaskan Leader Fisheries, an Alaskan fishing company, and shipbuilder J.M. Martinac Shipbuilding Corporation of Tacoma, Washington.
The Northern Leader will be a 184 feet x 42 feet x 18.75 feet freezer longliner designed for service in the Alaskan longline fisheries of the North Pacific, Bering Sea, and Aleutian Islands.
The vessel will target Alaska cod, sablefish, and other groundfish species, and will be one of the largest longliners in the world with over 38,000 cubic feet of refrigerated fishhold with an estimated capacity of 1.8
