The world's largest fishing vessel, the £50 million Atlantic Dawn, arrived in Dublin Port yesterday. It has a processing capacity of 7,000 tonnes of fish.
Prohibited from fishing in European waters, the 144.6 metre ship will fish off Mauritania in west Africa for horse mackerel, mackerel, sardinella, sardines and anchovies to sell in west Africa. It was built in Kristiansund, Norway for Mr Kevin McHugh of Killybegs, Co Donegal.
Mauritania has contracted its waters to EU vessels as a source of income. Mr McHugh has stressed that the Atlantic Dawn's focus is on catching top-quality fish for developing countries at the lowest possible price, rather than on industrial fishing.