Launch of new Dinara boat
The Betelgeuse ship, from the National Directorate of Aquatic Resources (Dinara), was designed and manufactured at the Nitromar shipyard and required an investment of $300,000. At the launch event, the head of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries, Fernando Mattos, said that this medium-sized vessel will be used to investigate fishing resources on the coast of the Río de la Plata, the Atlantic Ocean and continental waters.
“It is a goal achieved,” said Mattos when referring to the Betelgeuse ship, which was launched this Tuesday the 29th at the Nitromar shipyard in Montevideo.
The boat was designed for six people and built of aluminum, measuring 12 meters in length (length), 3.5 meters in width (width) and 0.80 meters in draft.
“We are going to have this medium-sized vessel for the investigation of fishing resources,” the minister celebrated, and acknowledged that until now contracted and third-party boats were used for Dinara officials to carry out said operation.
At the ceremony, the head of the MGAP was accompanied by Undersecretary Juan Ignacio Buffa, and the National Director of Aquatic Resources, Álvaro Irazoqui. Representatives of the National Navy, the diplomatic corps, the maritime-port sector and the company that designed and manufactured the vessel also attended.
Irazoqui stated that it is a “key platform for the investigations that Dinara must carry out to fulfill its tasks.”
He described that this coastal vessel will allow the monitoring and study of the populations of marine species. He argued that this is essential to evaluate the development, distribution, abundance and recruitment, as well as basic information for the sustainable management of all fishing resources.
He stated that the objective is to ensure and monitor the future of fisheries, as well as oceanographic conditions and other environmental parameters such as oxygen, turbidity, salinity and biomass, which contributes to the conservation and management of ecosystems.
The area of operations will include the coastal strip of the Río de la Plata and the Atlantic Ocean, continental waters, the Uruguay River and others. The base of Betelgeuse will be the Santa Lucía marina, on the homonymous river, which is located in the department of San José.
