On A FISHING EXPEDITION - Germany's Biggest Deep-Sea Trawler | Full Documentary

she's the flagship of the german deep sea fishing fleet the mate teodora on shore the clock is ticking before the colossus sets sail the meticulously planned logistics allow no time for delays time is money a fishing expedition often lasts weeks the crew is a close-knit band of men hey my favorite fishing master it's life at the limits and yet for the men on board it's a dream job then we can get back to catching fish doing what we love herring the deep sea fishermen call it the silver of the sea the net is hundreds of meters long and the quantities are vast below deck production is underway the cold chain must never be interrupted it's a non-stop operation 24 hours a day seven days a week when the fishermen head out to sea they don't know how long they will be out for conditions can be extreme if we have bad weather don't touch out here no one can afford to lose control no matter what how do i get 58 crew members plus cargo and ships safely back to port [Music] this is priority number one and i'm not interested in anything else the matcha teodora the largest ship of the german deep sea fishing fleet built for ocean-going service the trawler is out in the fishing grounds of the pacific for more than 300 days a year at 140 meters long and nearly 20 meters wide she's too large for the fleet's homeport in rostock when the ship returns from her fishing expedition she goes to a moden in the netherlands but for now the steel colossus is in a dry dock in amsterdam she's getting a new coat of paint plus any other work is being carried out which can be done during her rare visits to the dry dock captain gabor deutsche is also in charge on shore we're having a kind of technical inspection for ships many things which have suffered wear and tear over time are being repaired for example the rudder the tanks are getting inspected we're checking them to see if everything is still okay the ship's wall thickness is being measured to see if the steel is worn anodes are getting replaced for example on the bridge several electrical units are being checked to see if they're still functioning correctly this isn't always the case due to the length of the service so the repairs are completed as required even when the ship is ashore most of the crew stays and lives on board only the work is different from what they do at sea the matia teodora has already been in dry dock for 10 days she has passed the technical inspection and it won't be long now until the large basin is filled with water many but not all of the repairs and refurbishments have been done the protective hatch covers are new obviously they have to be watertight when we're at sea and waters breaking over them water must not penetrate the cargo holes here at the front you can see we've taken out both anchors which was necessary to check the chain lockers to see if they still have the wall thickness [Music] as well as checking the chain itself which also wears over time we've already lost five millimeters of chain thickness in 20 years it's still in the tolerance range so we don't need a new chain this is a good opportunity to repaint the chain markers when i'm casting anchor at sea i know then how many meters i have out the bosons get the order to drop anchor put out three chain lengths or five chain lengths then they can tell by the markers how many chain lengths are in the water fishing vessels need sonars otherwise they're literally fishing in the dark some of the sonar systems which are the eyes below the water have also been replaced the high frequency sonar is very important because we can locate the shoal first using the low frequency sonar over greater distances even up to two to four thousand meters but when we get closer to the shoals they become more flexible and the low frequency sonar loses some of its power to locate it and this is where a high frequency sonar comes in new sonar systems are ideally always underwater therefore they have to be mapped precisely we've got a plan for when we're important repairs have to be carried out underwater are taken and recorded so we can tell the divers accurately it's four meters from the backbone we have three or four sonar systems one behind the other it's now the third from the front that needs to be repaired we have plans for everything on the ship ships like the matcha teodora have to endure a lot at sea deep sea trawlers are built to be robust because anything can happen during a journey in the fishing industry we're unfortunately always out in areas of bad weather the fish are usually active where the storms are enormous demands are placed on the ship especially in terms of stability and stress on the ship's structural components they have to withstand a great deal no one knows it yet but during its next voyage the trawler and its crew will be seriously put to the test there's a problem on the forecastle the covers for the cargo holds weighing several tons should have been on board by now but they're still on shore we wanted to put the covers for the lower hold back onto the ship we can only use the large starboard crane but it's broken it's not going to be possible today hopefully tomorrow tomorrow's when we leave the protective covers cannot be hauled up onto the ship using their own crane they do not have the power from the main engine for this it will be started up later the hatches close off the various decks from one another for safety reasons the machia teodora is not authorized to set out to see on a fishing expedition without them besides without hatch covers the cargo holds cannot be fully used the next morning work starts before sunrise the deep sea trawler is set to leave the dry dock today the crew makes its final preparations however the hatch covers for the refrigerated holds are still on shore and without them the ship cannot set sail we still have the hatches from the lower cargo hold on shore the large crane in the dockyard is still broken we've been told it will be sorted out today they're gonna have to come with us for the past two weeks more than 100 workers have been welding and tightening up boats on the ship and some work continues up to a few hours before departure outside something's moving the heavy dockyard crane has been repaired and is traveling towards the hatches second officer willem cute is in radio contact with the crane driver the first cover plate is suspended [Music] the hatch covers waste several tons and space on board is limited manual adjustments are possible while the panels are attached further down below in the ship it's precision work done [Music] [Laughter] workers in the dry dock prepare to flood the basin system soon millions of liters of water will gush in the heavy anchors are now raised the chains had been checked beforehand and repainted the anchors weigh thousands of kilograms they're a kind of life insurance at sea upon deck the cargo holds are finally closed up the machi teodora is ready to depart [Music] now the sluices are opened to flood the dry dock the heavy ship is still on its keel but in a few hours the deep sea trawler will be afloat once again the matcha teredora is now floating in the water she will be towed through this canal to imoden she will then be loaded up before setting out on the next fishing voyage the officers ready themselves on the bridge the first tugboat is in place it will be secured to the head of the deep sea trawler to do so the ship must negotiate the narrow space on the starboard side a gap of a few centimeters at the stern the second tugboat has arrived it will maintain the formation on course from the rear on the starboard side tugboat number one squeezes its way further to the front of the trawler a tricky and daring feat this isn't something every tugboat captain can do it's a nice move on the part of the captain to try this because he likely had just five or six centimeters it was tight but we're very grateful for this the deckhands from the mate teodora throw tethers to the tugboat to replace the ropes with [Music] the link is also established to the tugboat at the stern the maneuver can begin [Music] the journey to a moden will take around 5 hours it's windy and because she's empty the matcha teodora surges up out of the water the tugboats secure the ship in the narrow channel [Music] the captain himself can do very little he can only provide some assistance with the rudder but the tugboats must do the main job [Music] up to now only one engine has been running at low speed but soon these heavy main engines will provide the propulsion only the navigation lock still separates the machia teradora from her home port the last mile the deep sea trawler reaches amoden [Music] we're now on the key side that we can start to add equipment we take boxes and pallets on board and the nets of course and otterboards hopefully we can get things sorted quickly in the next couple of days or so and then and then we'll be off then we can get back to catching fish doing what we love [Music] the following morning germany's biggest fishing vessel is birthed in the dutch port the ship is now getting equipped for its next fishing voyage on the bridge the crew lists are checked in case of emergency this is fuzzy it's a kind of notice for the entire crew enabling them to see who has been allocated which station or role in case of an emergency man overboard and fire for example would be general alarm should someone be unaccounted for this doesn't mean that they're automatically overboard or no one has seen this person in the past 12 hours so we'd also trigger a general alarm in this instance we do a count on bodec see if he's really there is he likely asleep is he lying injured in a corner someplace this has to be resolved or should it ever occur abandon ship which hopefully never happens [Music] outside the pallets arrive more than four thousand in total the frozen fish will later be stored on these even ashore everything proceeds at high speed and with precision time is money we can fill a truck of this kind in five minutes we'll be done removing the planets in one and a half hours on deck toston baya oversees the loading of the ship as fishing master he will be responsible for the fish processing facility and storage during the voyage we're now counting the pallets to make sure we have enough in the central hold section we'll have a problem if there aren't enough now the pallets are going to the upper hold area and filled with the cardboard boxes plus the film and the strap x and that's everything there must also be enough food on board the ship will be fishing at sea for weeks the drinking water's arriving now and stuff to sell on board chocolate four boxes of twix four kitkat four mars bounty and four boxes of snickers candy is important but just as important are cigarettes the mood will quickly deteriorate on board without them the cartons of cigarettes are kept locked away immediately after delivery in particular because they are tax free and not authorized for sale on land the free warehouse is kept very secure a regular lock and another one in front the customs goods have to be kept safe at all times as in a plane cockpit a system check is also performed on the bridge box just checking our black box every fishing vessel is equipped with one and it must be fully functional at all times this is really important it enables the fishing authorities to see where we are and what we're doing at any time [Music] her forthcoming voyage will last several weeks the final pallets are being loaded in a few hours the call will be cast off i think we need another hour and then we'll have everything on board then it's just the garbage containers left and then we'll be ready to go the team around captain gabor drozer is preparing to cast off on deck and on land the captain checks to see if everything is in order because everything is in motion at sea loose items can quickly become a hazard looks good for now [Music] for instance it can be both irritating and dangerous if we stored potable water hoses on deck if they get washed overboard they might get caught in the propeller or the cranes are not secured if the ship is traveling in a swell the cranes will lurch too and potentially damage the hydraulics everything has to be secured in seaworthy fashion the ship rocks and moves and nothing must shift around or endanger the ship in any way everything has got to be properly secured one final glance at the ship from outside for additional safety i was just checking to see if the cranes are lashed and seaworthy and of course the draft at the front four meters up front when the car goes inside afterwards hopefully we'll be straight i'm going to leave the pier now there's no turning back now a tugboat is approaching it will take the deep sea trawler out to open waters but first of all it has to be connected the men pull a thick rope over the steel capstan on the bow deck a feat of strength yes [Music] because of the tides a ship of this size can only depart at high tide otherwise they have to wait no one here wants that the trawler casts off and the port of a moden slowly disappears in the darkness the matia terradora is towed around five nautical miles off the coast it then proceeds on a course towards dover kali a bottleneck stressful hours lie ahead for the crew it will be 250 miles to the fishing grounds we're going to dover cali and this is one of the narrowest navigation areas in the world there's always a lot of traffic and you have to travel in a line [Music] the area is located in the traffic separation scheme it's a bit like a freeway everyone sticks to their own site and it's actually no problem and we're hoping to reach the fishing grounds in the english channel early tomorrow morning at 10 a.m and then we can plan the first catch with the hope of getting some nice fat herring it's a very early start the next morning in the galley marian schultz the onboard cook is in the kitchen every day starting around 4 am to prepare breakfast [Music] i always start off by kneading the bread dough because we make our own bread on board [Music] a nice basic dough and then at the end water stay on channel 16 and then you can start while it's business as usual in the galley on the bridge second officer christian zonos triggers the general alarm everyone on board must respond to this signal and seek the designated areas on the bow deck within a few minutes when real disaster strikes such as a fire or man overboard there is not much time to spare in minutes all crew men apart from the bridge crew are gathered on the bow deck every individual is called by name and checked off as present on a list this is the only way to ensure that everyone is really there in an emergency the men wear helmets and life vests depending on the scenario they may proceed to the life rafts a full complement of crew second officer christian sonos is satisfied on board security is paramount little mistakes can have major consequences instructions to the crew where you are standing it's also the sites where you have to come when we have an emergency you hear the general alarm or bonding ship alarm again yeah so that we very fast can counting the heads i said also for the crew what i know i know you know that but also for the new crew we have here our live raft on both sides on both sides us only for the life raft enough place for all people what we have here we have the muster list which says what needs to be done if there is an emergency in theory it contains a list of everything and folks are aware of this everyone on board ought to know what a general alarm is and how it sounds this is why we always use it for the first drill so that they know it's an alarm and they need to go up here immediately we do practice drills for everyone to fetch their own life vests themselves always with a helmet on and always wearing warm clothing safety footwear so that if there is an emergency they know they need to be here they know to report when their name is called and they know what they should be wearing [Music] is not only making bread but also rolls for the 58 strong crew baked with kilograms of dough and a whole lot of love the meals are often the only variety the crew gets so breakfast needs to be right the german deep sea trawler matia teodora is on its way to the fishing grounds of the english channel the ship has since passed the bottleneck of dover kali it now steers a course westward towards the atlantic fishing for herring six thousand tons will eventually be held in the storage facilities the net is being readied on deck it's around 700 meters long and tapers off at the end and although the net is so long in deep sea fishing it sometimes comes down to centimeters using a measuring tape the deckhands determine the points for fastening the sensors which send important information to the bridge for example if anything has actually been caught this requires the use of a pelagic trawl it's dragged by the ship in open water and does not come into contact with the seabed for now a focused and leisurely atmosphere prevails on board in a few hours things will change christianzonos helps to set the points for the scanners he will later observe the catches from the bridge and operate the rig final preparations are also underway below deck in the fish processing facility very soon the first tons of fish will be processed here any delay would mean a loss it's an integral component in the entire operation and must be kept running smoothly the refrigeration chambers are primed the boxes of frozen fish will later be transported via these conveyors [Music] fishing master toston baya makes one final inspection round through his domain yeah we're checking that all the conveyors are working that the domino we use to label the boxes is working we don't want to come up against an obstacle in production with nothing working this is why everything gets tested beforehand several hundred tons of herring are to be processed here per day those are the hoppers we're letting water into them so they keep refrigerated they come chilled from the tank so that the cold chain is not interrupted that's the worst thing our tanks are full and our fish pump isn't working [Music] at some point this afternoon we'll have fish and then we'll carry on non-stop 24 hours a day seven days a week the machia teodora has arrived in its fishing zone in the english channel soon the large net will be led into the water for the first time on this voyage on the bridge captain droisa has got the green light from all departments we're already nets are ready the processing facility is ready we've arrived in the fishing zone close to the zero meridian degree just one or two adjustments to do you can't quite see on it yet i need some fish first in order to tweak them accordingly then i hope we'll find fish in the next few hours and get going outside it's apparent why the english channel is referred to as a freeway it's one of the most widely used shipping lanes in the world the density of traffic is clearly evident on the radar there are freighters tankers and entire fishing fleets navigating and maneuvering within a small area on the bridge there's a permanent state of emergency the technology assists the officers but ultimately they're the ones who have to make the decisions for us it's virtually impossible to work for 12 hours consistently it's not feasible so we've reduced wash keeping we're now using a different watch system rotating twice a day to withstand the pressure and be able to do our jobs well otherwise it gets dangerous no one can chance it this is my favorite kind of journey the net sounder is being prepared on deck it indicates how the net is behaving in the water without it the men on the bridge are effectively blind [Music] once the sensor is operational fishing can get underway the workers are seasoned in the groups there's always one foreman the boson he stays in contact with the bridge christianzonos is standing by the second officer operates the winches he slowly lowers the net into the water mistakes can have fatal consequences in deep-sea fishing it's so big and yet looks so small from here we're moving a ton load here if they veer out instead of hoist then we'll be calling for the helicopter and it doesn't bear thinking about these winches can lift 50 to 60 metric tons no problem for them but no match for any human bones the size of the net's meshing increases and there are also chains at the end [Music] what matters most is to keep a constant eye on the boat swain at least he's the one who signals a lot obviously we also have the headsets which we're putting on now but someone still might not understand or likely not say anything just point they've been working with hand signals for the past 20 years so it's always really important to keep the boat swain in sight you know cooperating with the crew to try and make their work as simple as possible it takes around 20 minutes to set the nets any faster and it would increase the risk of accidents if you proceed gradually or sensibly the rest of the crew see it in enough time and there's no need to stop this is safer for them and they can't get caught or stuck good teamwork between the men and the bridge is always important [Music] finally the deckhands assemble the net sounder [Music] the last few sections of the large net slide into the water now it's time for the very heavy otterboards it takes caution and concentration to lower them this is a situation where you need to be very careful when we're rigging and stopping the boards he's working very close to the winches which are under great strain so we need to work calmly and look exactly what signals are given so it just makes sense to work together the otterboards are made of steel they keep the net opening apart underwater slowly the boards measuring several meters enter the water fishing has begun we have now just put out the fishing rig and we've got the otterboards in the water now we're gradually starting to put down the troll line to be on a level with the water where we anticipate the shoal and then begin fishing uh yeah it's efficient it's about fishing [Music] meanwhile a glance into the engine room it looks like a power plant there are three heavy marine diesel engines which power the matcha teodora over the oceans whatever the weather the engine room covers around a quarter of the entire ship's length and several levels down here the chief is in charge as the only officer on board he's on par with the captain in decision-making the chief engineer it's the main purpose his engine and the fish and the factory but also we have to repair the from light bulbs in the cabins toilets everything everything what breaks down we have to repair from from the bridge to the engine room the factory everything hammond shop knows every inch of this ship he's unaware that he too is about to be faced with a totally new challenge on this trip everything is running smoothly we have two engines for uh main propulsion we always use them and only when we need more power with bad weather or then we need we take the third engine they're all three uh the same 4 300 kilowatt more than 20 000 horsepower altogether a tremendous force they're prepared for almost any scenario on the deep sea trawler most of the things we can do and almost everything we have a double so if one one thing breaks we have a backup for almost everything the work is hard and demanding it takes a unique type of person on board i always say i'm fishing vessels it's a little bit different people than normal because uh i have to work 24 7. and the job asks a lot of you the oil check is one of the daily duties in the engine room similar to an automobile but the gauge is a measuring tape and instead of a few drops of oil it's necessary to top up around 70 liters per day [Music] germany's biggest deep sea trawler is out in the english channel fishing for herring six thousand tons are authorized under the fishing quota for this the ship will be at sea for several weeks the net is in the water for the first catch of the voyage on the bridge captain gabor drozer follows the fish shoals underwater on the sonars the catch sensor beeps there's a catch tension is mounting on board everything is monitored closely below deck too we can see exactly how he is progressing with the heaving hear the troll lines at some point the boards are sure to come up the net will then be rigged and reeled up i think it's going to take another 10 minutes or so the first catch of the expedition is being reeled in on the bridge it's clear something is in the net but this is as much as they know right now the net is 700 meters long and the fish is right at the very end in the cod end now the otterboards are being brought on board they need to be secured a job that is not without risk the working net can also pose a risk to the men on board [Music] now the cod end emerges on the surface the rear section of the net is bulging with herring many tons of it the end of the net is pulled towards the ship on a rope on board the men prepare the pump they secure the end of the net to the pump head to do this the men open the end of the net and haul it over the head of the mighty pump once the opening has been slipped over completely and secured can the fish be pumped on board [Music] next the suction head goes overboard the work is exhausting and the men are working against the clock the captain observes the maneuver from above he may be up on the bridge but is not above doing such work himself he has learned the hard way from personal experience it doesn't matter what ship you learn on what size but once you've stood on deck yourself you know how it is standing freezing down there and the captain above signaling at you in a t-shirt these are the intense moments you accumulate down there down there is not meant in a derogatory way in the hierarchy i think you treat the crew differently because you know how it feels to some extent on deck two large hoses are now being connected together they will soon be used to pump tons of fish from the net on board the fishermen also let the pump's hose into the water and the pump starts to operate with more than 130 bar the fish is now brought onto the ship from the net [Music] in the fish processing facility fishing master toston baya gets ready the production facility has not yet begun operating but that is all about to change now let's move to the deck i don't need my glasses there is fish but for now the quality is unknown first they need to take some samples [Music] the fish are sucked from the net on board using a vacuum pump via pipe they are then fed directly into the tanks [Music] the first catch is in herring from the english channel the fishing master takes a few kilograms worth of samples the remaining tons go directly to the fish processing facility there are hundreds of thousands of herring they arrive at the facility below deck via chute on a roller system the herrings are sorted according to size and then taken over different conveyor belts to the processing area the distance between the rollers increases in size small fish fall through first the larger ones last [Music] [Music] the fish are almost entirely in cold water so that they stay fresh via various conveyor belts the fish are then fed into the hoppers dip tanks they're sorted here before going to the freezers it's mainly all about the spawn on the expedition sorted out according to a b and c and it's true the japanese go for it it's a delicacy to them and so everything has to be right herring is especially treasured at this time the female fish are carrying lots of eggs and on this expedition this is what they're after several kilograms of fish are examined from each catch the workers cut open the fish to examine the spawn in other words the eggs for quality and quantity it's possible to reveal information about the entire catch based on early indications here into the gills then you simply put it sideways afterwards it's easier to remove the row this is a nice herring it's a good one yes this is still way too small okay nothing in this we prefer the larger ones here these are what the japanese are after oh all of the fish gets used but the row is the most lucrative in japan in particular it's considered a delicacy enrico storm is also getting ready in the production facility the scientist is a guest on board he too is conducting samples for the tunin institute of sea fisheries however he's not interested in the row but in the fish itself our mission is to observe scientifically how the catch takes place on board and collect data everything that comes from the sea is documented and recorded this information is then used to determine the next quarter the program has been running a long time already different countries come together to determine the state of the stocks whether they're good or bad do we need to take action issue fewer quotas or even and this is why there are statistical surveys there's plenty of herring the last catch brought in several tons on board the fish goes on conveyor belts through the facility the freezers are situated at the end of the process chain the fish is fed via slide system into the compartments which are chilled to minus 30 degrees celsius the work carried out by the men is strenuous as soon as they have filled one freezer the fish is covered two and a half hours later it's frozen solid one batch will be sent to china where it will be thawed removed and separated from the row but the first catch was just average the news goes straight to the bridge it was good at first but the last catch was a bit small just some junk we'll go tell captain gabor and he'll look to see if another place might be better are you at the stern yeah what do i do the last catch was really junk drunk the start was great but the last tank had less just a whole lot of junk he wasn't busy captain has to decide whether to move to a different area now i have to think we have four compass points and one of them was less than a gold mine we don't know yet which one it is i'm going to have to think about it now [Music] below deck the shop is opened once a week second officer willem koit sells cigarettes and other items here [Music] obviously it's important for the crew we have smokers on board and everything is tax-free it's cheap so we have to wash out that no one makes a business out of it but i know who smokes and who doesn't i open up once a week then the entire crew comes to buy cigarettes cans of soda and water it's important for the crew but even without we'll still carry on only [Music] there's nothing worse than having nothing to smoke and what do you want ten times vanilla please and ten packs of rolling papers yes we have various toiletries shampoo and hair gel shaving foam razors it's totally crap if you forget something abroad and can't clean your teeth for the next six weeks meanwhile second officer christian zonus is wielding his knife on deck if a nice fish is caught in the net as bycatch and the stringent nature conservation act permits the crew likes to fillet it and take it home with them freshly frozen i've been selling fish in vanunde it's the seniors who are more likely to take a whole cod and you also need to be able to filet for the exam another lunch assured for home below deck the herrings are processed and measured a lot of information has to be collected we want to see how much fat they have this is the fish fat meter we're just doing the first sample we'll just put it on here [Applause] when they're spawning they're not so fatty you can tell when you touch it here it's not so fatty ah that was a male fish [Music] this is a female the fat contents are very carefully noted as well down here there's a lot of bureaucracy to take care of well the office administration what can you do that's why we have our assistant our apprentice so to say thanks at some point you also want to become quality manager yes at some point in the next few years it'll take a little while yet yeah he'll need a bigger mouth on him he's going to have to holler louder not like mickey mouse shout at the top of your lungs so people hear you hey hey what's going well cool so do they know yeah yes they know for sure all right enough said why isn't this working [Music] in the facility the freezers are ready the fish are now frozen in blocks the cubes are separated using a large scraper tool before going on to a conveyor belt we have 48 freezers in this facility and when everything is going well we can do 74 to 75 freezers in six hours one freezer has 1.2 metric tons you do the math which is 90 metric tons in six hours 90 tons in six hours at full load more than 300 tons of fish are processed here per day the blocks are packed in the strap x room more than 200 000 boxes are on board of the matcha terradora and at the end of the journey they shall all be filled the fish is stored in the lower decks at a temperature of minus 27 degrees celsius the men pick every single box off the belt by hand and stack it it's back-breaking work there's a shift change every 30 minutes [Music] there's no fish in the galley today they're baking a cake it's a tradition on board [Music] so it's thursday tomorrow and what we call mariner sunday there's always cake for the crew and on sundays in any case cake for almost 60 men that takes some doing and when there's cake people turn up early to the galley my favorite fishing master yeah it's me it's gonna be cake tomorrow exactly for tomorrow here you wanna have a taste the dough okay let's move here [Music] okay delicious tastes great [Music] of course it's nice when folks come by you can have a decent chat and goof around too this is just as important as the serious work here is it april or something what's with all the jokes no but i don't think you're the first person to turn up here today i don't miss having any women on board you can tell it's a purely all-male company here it's not a whole lot of cologne being used no one's bothered if you smell of sweat we don't need a woman to do the cooking best cooks are men [Music] [Applause] hectic scenes in the fish processing facility operations are at a standstill a conveyor belt has broken nothing is moving i think we're gonna have to service 12 to 15 freezers almost half a tank that we need to service [Music] the technicians have stopped the entire facility they need to replace a motor it's a high voltage current and everything is under water this would be too dangerous in operation the driving gear of the reduction from the belt is broken so that we're going to change so they can run again normally we try to keep running but if it's not not possible then we need to stop for the first time ever 20 tons of fish cannot be processed the clock is ticking in the fishing industry ships and production facilities have to be operational all the time otherwise they're not making any money for the shipping company or the crew it's narrow loud and wet because of the water vapor the mechanics are virtually working blind sea water and fish scales rain down from above the electric motor for the conveyor belt is broken and cannot be repaired in a rush fortunately replacement parts are in stock the new motor is installed in 15 minutes but it still has to be connected [Music] uh down here anything not made of stainless steel will get ruined sooner or later but so far the men have always managed to find a solution we changed the motor of this belt from uh from the fish sorting machine it was not running anymore with the electoral motor with the reductor we changed the electric motor and the reductor without working again the belts are running again the fish processing facility on board the deep sea trawler is back in business the second fishing master informs the bridge we'll give it a shot to see if everything is working tank one port side is empty again so we're starting the other tank okay boy you do become calmer the more often you experience certain situations every situation is different somehow but the more you've experienced critical situations the more cool-headed you are i'm not saying that you are totally relaxed there's always tension but you approach the situation differently you're calmer logically you wonder if your life is in danger no then we can proceed calmly and this is key you have to know what you're doing and if something doesn't work it doesn't work the crew will be fishing 6 000 tons of herring so far the catch has gone well for the deep sea trawler but the weather forecast is getting worse each passing hour bad weather's on the way tonight we're expecting a storm so we need to get some stocks this was also the reason why the quality manager called again so we could maybe catch 50 metric tons extra to have sufficient fish to produce a pool and be able to get going again after the wind without any great production losses i think it's going to be storm force 10 to 11 which is around 100 kilometers per hour the storm makes the work on deck even more dangerous the men at the stern always wear protective gear helmets and life vests are compulsory nevertheless if someone goes overboard at night they only have a slim chance of survival the deck is well illuminated but at night it's harder to warn the men on board about high waves you can't see much outside it's more dangerous when the weather's crap in the daytime you can see the waves coming but not so much at night but i've never experienced something at night which cannot happen in the day fishing operations on the machiateodora are going well the halls are always sufficient to keep the production facility running but with an approaching storm the weather is set to get worse at night the rougher the sea the more turbulent it gets on the trawler if the ship starts to roll parts such as the heavy head on the end of the pump will be tossed around violently the men are now fishing for stocking purposes if the storm gets too big fishing will have to be stopped at the very least the production facility will be able to continue operating later on next morning the storm has arrived storm force 10 the work becomes too dangerous on the bow deck so operations are to be stopped the sea is churning and the waves are high things are a little more protected on deck at the rear the wind is coming directly from the west and this is the worst wind you can have in the english channel we'll have these conditions for the next four days a west wind forces waves from the atlantic into the english channel the forecast for the next few days is poor the crew gets ready below deck they're going to haul in the net the mood is focused they're all old hands in the business and therefore especially careful it's always always because a lot of risk and fast and heavy and life ship rolling no possible control something in deck water on deck but for people's job if it's my life that is normal but must be the full concentration on the bridge second officer willem koit is in charge from up here he has a good overview and can warn the deckhands on board if large waves are coming but in the worst case scenario even he can't really do much on board the workers on board must watch out to make sure no large waves are coming they're standing directly at the water it's important for them to be alert in this weather [Music] if something really does happen we may be unable to help anything can happen at any time the net is full but the heavy seasoned hurricane force gusts are making the men's work more difficult on board when the sea is rough the net can suddenly lunge around and take out anything in its way in a swell it can get dragged along by the rough seas at any site according to protocol if we have bad weather don't touch keep out of the immediate area only if they are rigging or de-rigging the net sounder otherwise you have to keep some distance moving the net without incidents slowly the net is hauled on board a lengthy process several hundred meters have to be reeled up before the catch reaches the ship the men often work directly at the edge of the ship and are exposed to the full fury of the wind they need to be quick the focus of this expedition by the matcha teodora is the herring spawn or roe if the fish spend too long in the net and are crushed too much this reduces the quality of the herring and the row can be lost too the size ela herring does mine this is known as shot and herring it has no eggs in its stomach and is virtually worthless for us we'll freeze it too but it's not so good for the market the cod end is almost on the ship the powerful pump has to be attached there it can be a feat of strength even when the sea is calm right now it's stormy and the men are working against the clock the net is full to the brim in heavy seas the fish can get crushed together faster meaning that the row or eggs are squeezed out slowly the pump goes over the rail but it is not yet operational everything is swaying in the storm and the work is dangerous the long rubber hose of the pump in the water still has to be connected no easy task at storm force 10. the deckhand gets up again quickly he's been fortunate the hose is heavy but made of rubber if a metal ring had hit him it would have been worse outside the net crashes against the waves and the pump is still not working the clock is ticking the deckhands have problems connecting the hoses on board with the pump in the water the heavy sea moves in from behind and the wind comes from the side the sea is tucking at the net it automatically creates greater force if it jams your fingers could get stuck and you can come to great harmony great harm in the form of serious injuries does happen every once in a while finally the deckhands manage to connect the two hoses time is of the essence one deckhand starts up the pump creating a huge vacuum now the hose goes over the rail completely the upper end of the hose tightens itself in the thread slowly the net is pulled on board so that more fish come towards the pump as always it's a waiting game you can often tell the quantity on the water surface others will decide on the quality later on was the herring may be too long in the net and have many of the valuable eggs already been lost [Music] this was a good hull we've caught approximately 45 metric tons and 13 to 14 of the fish in the first tank had eggs in their stomachs we can be happy with this deep sea fishing often takes place in bad weather and rough seas the deckhands are used to a lot and they are also well paid it's a multi-million dollar business but the safety of the crew comes ahead of profit [Music] materials and people are under tremendous strain and the risk of an injury increases greatly in bad weather if no improvement in the weather is forecasted i think then it's better to wait and set off in 12 hours time to go after the next catch to be on the safe side there are always risks but the risk is minimized the captain gives the command to cease fishing the risk to the crew outside on deck is too great in the fish processing facility fishing master toston baya is doing his rounds he too notices the effects of the storm the fish is all done now the weather was bad we've processed everything and now we're using the time to get all the freezers empty and rinse them down because everything is so iced up as a rule after 100 000 packs we will vacate them and get them clear of ice before we do the first catch again we have to refrigerate the fish for a few hours again four to five hours and then we can begin production again but that happens anytime there's bad weather on a trip walking through the facility to check things out see if people are still doing the job cleaning up not that they're all standing around picking their nose now we have to check sometimes they like to stand around and have a chat the weather clears and the mateodora can resume fishing in the fish processing facility the belts are running again and production continues more than 150 000 boxes of frozen herring are now piled up in the storage space and there's more every hour the men on board work and shifts around the clock the captain has found a perfect fishing zone and the quality of the fish is excellent this attracts the other boats in the vicinity it's only natural if you're sitting on a gold mine you're likely not going to be so quick to say so and of course look on a bit grimly if another ship or two or three appear on the scene but this is fishing after all if you're sitting on a small gold mine you're only going to have it for yourself for a couple of days the others will start to wonder when you're not saying much and say man they're being quiet today then they'll appear and take a look and that's how it is the trawler must always be kept in excellent condition so engineer jakob hametaman climbs into one of the funnels now so now we take the electromotor out of the funnel now we are going to look for the type because we have a few different types on the on the fence and then we look if we have a spare one then we put it back otherwise we have to order another one inside the ship's hold in and around the machine and funnel routes are steep winding and very narrow it's loud and hot the electric motor cover weighs more than a hundred kilograms without a pulley block nothing can be done [Music] the electric motor itself is also heavy and bulky there is now a descent of several stories the pulley block is mobile and can be reattached on any deck but this only works in a horizontal position it's a case of muscle power for forward movement the final part the two engineers have nearly done it first we thought the hardest part was take off the electromotor of the fan but actually the hardest part was to take it out of the funnel it's business as usual in the fish processing facility they're freezing the fish here too things break from time to time but rarely in a dramatic way it's broken we'll check if we have another do we have any more so here's your new board here you go and sometimes things go astray the fishing master provides supplies and notes them down yeah number 10 you're welcome write this down otherwise he'll be here again in the morning wanting more gloves you always have to keep your eyes on things here meanwhile on the bridge an injury the assistant cook has sustained a deep cut in the kitchen and must be attended too you can only use the spoon from now on otherwise it's too dangerous for him [Music] there is a small hospital on the ship which has painkillers and other medical supplies to treat cuts and other injuries the captain has a great deal of responsibility and plays many roles on boarding the clinic it was just a minor cut we've seen other stuff on board generally we can do a lot ourselves we've had more major injuries before and we've stitched them up or closed them with clips sometimes someone might get an abscess that needs opening we prefer to stitch up a wound rather than ruin something [Music] where there is danger to life do we seek external help and get a helicopter enjoy your work [Music] for the cook losing his assistant means even more work and on board the deep sea trawler one kind of evening meal is not enough we have seven different nationalities on board some of them are muslims i'm preparing rolled roast lamb for them because they don't eat pork [Music] actually i'm right on track as a cook you have to be able to multitask something else men are often accused of not being able to do but as a cook you have to multitasking there are almost 60 crew members on board the machi teodora all are specialists in their field and for the most part their work is far from easy deep sea fishing is a vocation that takes you to your limits and sometimes even beyond the engine room three heavy diesel engines provide a huge output everything is constructed in such a way that some areas can only be accessed via small tunnels it's hot and loud down here [Music] things are very different in the facility here there's a lot of water and it's cold fresh fish is constantly being added to the freezers the job on deck tough work in any weather the crew needs to have a sense for the wind and the sea sometimes a split-second response is needed in rough seas the net can suddenly start moving uncontrollably the forces at work here are tremendous the navigators are standing on the bridge in particular in an area such as the english channel they're fully focused traffic is heavy at the same time the net has to be positioned duties vary for all on board but the pressure is always on for each crew member over many weeks at a time the 17th day at sea fishing operations on the matcha teodora are progressing smoothly however the weather is getting worse again the gusts approach hurricane strength still not an issue just an everyday occurrence in deep sea fishing almost 4 000 tons of frozen herring are now in cold storage but then something happens which no one can explain we have a major problem during the search there were two loud thudding sounds this was followed by a loss of rudder control so we're no longer able to steer and we have no rudder strength i have no idea what's wrong but we're no longer maneuverable [Music] in the english channel without a functioning rudder system outside a storm is raging and tossing the ship around first we need to find out where and how we can get help we can't do anything else on our own to put it bluntly we've had it the rudder has failed no one knows why as an emergency measure deckhands have secured the interior with heavy timbers because if these parts are forced upwards water could gush in the rudder was broken off or it's completely gone we don't know that because we cannot check due to the bad weather captain gabor drozer reports the incident to a shore station in france they want to know how much heavy fuel is on board the ship and if she's in immediate distress outside the storm is raging and the deep sea trawler is unable to maneuver the problem is the waters we're in lots of traffic strong currents and heavy winds you can't simply say i'll just drift and see what happens because you can end up running a ground ten hours later someplace the captain records the incident in the log book the second officer calculates the distance between ship and land it's not a large area and there are unfavorable wins i suspect will be displaced eastwards at around three to four knots per hour meaning that we'd have reached the sandbank in 12 hours we'll have to see what we can do the heavy anchors cannot be lowered the navigation route in the english channel is narrow and heavily used like a freeway the deep sea trawler is still drifting too close to the other vessels one thing is clear the journey ends here the captain gives the command to cease fishing at the stern the net is hauled on board from now on the challenge is about rescuing the crew and the ship it's over no rudder means no fishing we can only hope that we reach port safe and sound we haven't been able to fish the full quota but there's nothing we can do about it obviously this is annoying but my thoughts are how do i get 58 crew members plus cargo and ship safely back to port this is priority number one and i'm not interested in anything else at the moment the freezers in the fish processing facility are full but there will be no further supplies in a few hours fishing master tosten brya will put a complete halt to operations below deck above the deckhands prepare everything for a towing maneuver the ship company has decided to send a tugboat for assistance everything must be ready by the time it arrives we've now been able to obtain a tugboat from rotterdam in the current weather i think it will take a day the mater dora must hold out for a whole day the ship is still not authorized to drop anchor and is drifting towards the french coast without a rudder the deckhands on board prepare everything for the tugboat's arrival they attach the strongest ropes to the bow which will be used to tow the deep-sea trawler the crew is in for a restless night at 3am the captain can finally give the command to drop anchor for now the trawler is no longer in the navigation route and is far enough away from other vessels but the situation is still volatile the ship is now stationary for the first time but nothing is guaranteed you might figure the anchors out and it's all fine but that's not the case the current is two to three knots and we also have gusty winds meaning we're supporting to keep the anchor in one place using the engine and bow thruster otherwise there's a good chance we'll lose the anchor if we start to reverse and drag the anchor along behind us there's a 70 chance we'll lose it so we need to make sure we stay on the spot and wait for the tugboat which will hopefully reach us this evening in rotterdam a sturdy tugboat has set off to bring the ship to port but it has already become a race against time [Music] strong winds and high waves are tugging at the anchor chain every 15 minutes the deckhands and officers check the state of the anchor we have 30 to 40 knot winds and a considerable current in the english channel between two and a half and three knots not normally the best conditions for anchoring we'll just try and check the state of the anchor give a little forward thrust in the main engine to take the strain off the anchor clearly the ship pitches in the heavy swell and it is also necessary to counteract the forces not ideal conditions for the anchor chain it would be preferable to drift then drop anchor in this weather but we can't do that right now [Music] the material is 140 meters long even a vessel like this can be towed but the ropes and cables must withstand enormous forces [Music] as we can't guarantee being able to take on the heavy towing cable from the tugboat in this weather we are of course making our own preparations too in other words we're establishing two towing connections one port one starboard we can then be sure that the ship is better to control in this weather there's also cleaning work to do on deck the net is full of shredded skin from the herring it needs to be cleaned otherwise the next time we put out to see the net will start to stink and rot the same procedure applies in the processing facility row and residue from the herring hall can be seen all over the place everything needs to be cleaned [Music] the ocean-going tugboat is now visible on the radar it's due to arrive in a few hours and hook up to the trawler since the loss of the rudder system over 20 hours ago the ship has been immobile in the english channel [Music] the next morning tugboat duke has reached its destination its job is to bring the machia teodora safely to port in a moden in the netherlands what exactly caused the damage is still unclear [Music] we can rule out a hydraulic failure i personally believe we don't have any more rudder left back there but we won't find out until we return to the dock the tugboat is now on the port side of the trawler the crew on the machito dora takes on its heavy shackles each weighing more than 25 kilograms ropes and chains can be connected using the massive iron rings [Music] the shackles are then taken to the bow the tugboat gets into position in front of the deep sea trawler over the next hour heavy steel chains and a single steel cable will be passed from the tugboat and attached on board the machiate odora seriously heavy work executed with millimeter precision [Music] success the ship is secured to the tugboat's hook and the anchor can now be hoisted the anchor is up and the matcha teodora is in tow several hundred nautical miles lie ahead to the port of amoden with no functioning rudder and in high winds in the english channel it remains a risky trip which will last for more than 30 hours what's important is that everyone is focused on the job i haven't been told a lot myself but you do of course see the towing convoys which are generally slower than the rest of the shipping and you have to keep an eye on them to arrive safe and sound the towing connections can break use your common sense and keep an eye on everything on board preparations are underway for the end of the journey they're getting all the rooms and quarters clean in port there will be a crew change so the trawler has to be presented in ship shaped condition even if they're not shipping out ships are manned even in port not always a full crew but large sections of the crew are on board and for example take care of repairs the second officer conducts his inspection round you're looking to see that there are no loose cables that the sockets are okay that the baths and rooms are clean no water leaks and everything's nice and hygienic and if not they have to clean it [Music] in the laundry room the washing machines are running one final time the fish processing facility is completely empty and clean the cordoned off zone will later be inspected by the health authority in the port the employees in the fish processing facility are done with their work it's like what you see on screen after a movie the end looks fine tomorrow we can arrive with a clear conscience outside the otterboards are being collected they will no longer be used on this journey it's not yet clear where the next expedition will be headed most likely other boards will then be used they will be switched depending on the water depth and net size small boards can't open up large nets large boards on the other hand can rip small nets the machito dora is due in port in 12 hours if all goes to plan on board 58 crew members and 4 000 tons of herring the next morning the towing convoy is nearing a moden in the netherlands now the pilots take over on board the deckhands prepare the pilot ladders a few minutes later and the pilots board the vessel [Music] um five nautical miles off the coast the sturdy tugboat changes the cable and is replaced by two smaller boats it's the final approach [Music] at midday the machia teodora is firmly moored at the pier her journey is over now but here the work is just about to start [Music] it's uh again are now ready cranes are ready and then the unloading can begin we've still got a few bundles on board which need to come off a precisely timed logistics chain gets underway in port to unload around 200 thousand boxes of frozen herring as fast as possible the trawler crew caught four thousand tons even if there's no imminent next departure everything has to be done quickly here below deck the ice clogged hatches have to be freed up using blow torches on the locks the temperature remains at a constant minus 27 degrees celsius it's back-breaking work for the men of the unloading crew and a routine that puts huge strains on the equipment three docks one above the other are virtually full of frozen herring the deep sea trawler was able to fish two-thirds of the quota but first it's important that the cold chain is not interrupted as soon as the ship's hatches are open everything has to be taken off in the shortest possible time the temperature cannot be maintained for [Music] long unloading takes place between 7 a.m and 7 p.m and longer if time is pressing there are more than 10 forklifts on the pier ready to load the 40-ton trucks forklifts are indispensable on the ship too even here everything has to be done quickly the job in the ship's hold is dangerous and requires utmost concentration forklifts come from the side and hopefully no cargo from above not far away is one of the largest cold storage facilities in the netherlands it's the heart of the shipping company and a veritable treasure trove and a cold one fish right up to the roof the matcha tio dora's catch is not the only one stored here other deep sea trawlers are also unloading now in front of the cold storage the pallets are brought inside through an airlock door this saves time and notably energy because no warm air can penetrate inside inside it's minus 27 degrees celsius the forklift trucks are heated and located in the depot all day long the ceiling is 25 meters high and the forklift drivers are informed about the locations of the goods via a computer efficient and problem-free logistics the entire warehouse contains 16 400 pallets which is around 855 000 boxes we can move these around the benefit being we can arrange more planets on one square meter one shelving rack weighs more than 400 tons and can yet be moved to the side with apparent ease in the next 48 hours the 200 000 boxes on the matcha teodora will be put here as well before sunrise the following morning a diver has arrived at the pier today the objective is to determine why the deep sea trawler abruptly lost its steering capability the diver puts on a dry suit and is unaffected by the cold water temperature with the watertight helmet and the oxygen tank he can spend several hours underwater the diver enters the water at eight am it's still unclear why the rudder system failed a few minutes later the first images come in from the live camera the officers from the matcha teodora have come to see the damage for themselves [Music] you could tell that the writer was missing he was filming the rudder shaft and you could see that there was just an empty rudder housing where the rudder was meant to be in other words the cavity where the rudder would have been inserted and that's some broken parts are stuck in the rudder stock nothing else is left once in a while unforeseen events do occur at sea and in deep sea fishing the loss of a rudder is not one of them it's actually worse than anticipated because we had hoped that just one part would be broken bad news that the entire thing is gone [Music] you can't just buy a rudder like this on ebay or amazon amazon it has to be made and the manufacturing companies aren't exactly waiting for us it's difficult to get a new rudder this is not an everyday occurrence and even the diver who was here today and who's been diving for 35 years has not seen anything like this before it's truly an exceptional situation overall i think things went as well as expected waiting at anchor the current but we had hoped that the rudder would still be attached that we could repair it and be ready to depart again in three or four weeks but this is simply not the case was at sea for 21 days in that time approximately 4 000 tons of herring were caught total rudder failure ended the expedition for reasons unknown the rudder detached and sank to the seabed a search for the rudder in the english channel proved unsuccessful but a new rudder was completed in record time 14 weeks after being out of action germany's biggest deep sea trawler will finally set sail again on a long voyage into the north atlantic this journey will last several weeks without the loss of its [Music] rudder [Music] you

Channel: WELT Documentary

Views: 798,034

Rating: 4.6825171 out of 5

Keywords: full documentary, full documentaries, hd documentary, hd documentaries, free documentary, welt documentary, welt documentaries, full length documentaries, documentary film, top documentaries, reports, factual film, trawler, deap sea, deap sea fishing, fishing, arctic cycle, artic sea, deep sea documentary, fishing documentary, hard work, high seas, halibut, black hailbut, fishing fleet, ocean trawlers, ocean fishing, ocean trawler, trawling, Maartje Theadora, fleet

Id: cI3cEeFCMVU

Length: 96min 21sec (5781 seconds)

Published: Sun Feb 14 2021