Gerda-Maria

The "Gerda Maria" has left the Bremerhaven fishing port on Nov 13, 2025, after several months in port. The trawlerbelonged to Nordbank Hochseefischerei GmbH, a subsidiary of the Dutch company Parlevliet & Van der Plas. A buyer from New Zealand has acquired the ship. It will be deployed in the Pacific in the future. After departing, the deep-sea trawler set course via the Kiel Canal towards Klaipeda, where it docked on Nov 15, where maintenance and modification work will take place. The ship was last registered in the ship register under its home port of Rostock. With the arrival of the new fishing vessel "Jan Maria," the "Gerda Maria" was decommissioned in April 2024. Many of the 26 crew members transferred to the larger newbuild. The decommissioned sister ship was then put up for sale, initially for nine million euros through a Danish broker, later for five million euros (negotiable) on an online platform. Built in 1990, the "Gerda Maria" was originally sailing as the "Cuxhaven" for the German Fishing Union. In 1996, the shipping company discontinued fresh fish fishing and converted the deep-sea trawler to a freezer vessel, primarily catching Greenland halibut, cod, and redfish for the Japanese market. After being sold to the Nordbank Deep-Sea Fishing in 2000, the ship was lengthened to 81.32 meters. Under the name "Gerda Maria," it then operated primarily in the North Atlantic. The catch was processed and deep-frozen directly on board before being regularly unloaded in Bremerhaven.

On the evening of June 2, 2025, a chemical accident occurred aboard the 'Gerda Maria', which was berthed in Bremerhaven's fishing port. Ammonia leaked from the trawler. No one was injured. At around 7:10 p.m., witnesses reported to the water police that a strong odor of ammonia was emanating from a vessel. Emergency services discovered a leak in a facility. Up to 100 liters of the toxic chemical had leaked into a room. The Bremerhaven Fire Department wason scene with several vehicles. Together with the water police, they initiated safety measures. The area around the ship was cordoned off. The hazardous materials team took pollutant measurements. There was no acute environmental hazard. A special team from the Netherlands was expected on Jund 3 in order to locate the leak and permanently seal it.

On Feb 14, 2012, the "Gerda Maria" was raided and escorted to Tromsø by the Norwegian Coast Guard vessel "Nordkapp". The ship was suspected of illegal fishing and underreporting of catches of haddock, in the fisheries protection zone around Svalbard. On Feb 17 the matter was investigated by the police of Tromsø. The ship's owner was fined with two million crowns and the master, a Lithuanian citizen, had to pay a fine of 30,000 crowns. Norwegian report with photo: http://www.nordlys.no/nyheter/article5934277.ece