Minister Stresses Support for Vessel Energy Efficiency Improvements

Mr Dominguez made the speech during the opening of the conference 'Energy Audit and Trawlers in the Mediterranean', organised by the Confederation of Spanish Fisheries (CEPESCA).

The results of the "Draft Energy Audit Mediterranean trawlers", which has received €320.00 worth of funding from the Ministry of Fisheries and the European Fisheries Fund, was presented.

The project was based on audits of 32 trawlers Almera, Castelln, Denia, Javea and Calpe, allowing formulas to achieve greater energy efficiency with a reduction of greenhouse gases to be adopted. These audits have been qualified by the Secretary General as "essential" as a preliminary to any major change is proposed in the vessel.

"The ultimate aim of these audits is to establish the energy state of a ship, its components and its mode of operation, to determine the degree of efficiency of equipment and better corrective measures to raise these issues and increase their profitability," Mr Dominguez said.

In this regard, the Secretary General highlighted the findings of the study CEPESCA, "that hinted at the possibility of achieving a reduction in energy consumption by between five and 25 per cent, applying small improvement solutions."