Bank supports building of new fishing vessel for Fleetwood seafood firm

A £1.5m banking facility has funded the construction of a new, custom-built fishing vessel for Fleetwood seafood processing firm B&M Fishing.

The marine mortgage, from HSBC UK, has paid for the ‘Boy Christopher’, a new 11.95m boat which is a twin hold catamaran powered by two 64kW compliant fuel-efficient engines.

The new B&M Fishing vessel also features sheltered landing capabilities and catching areas for Shellfish.

The HSBC UK-supported marine mortgage will enable B&M Fishing to increase its catch capacity by 20%, catch more wild fish and hire up to five new members of staff.

B&M Fishing is a LLP set up between AM Seafoods and A&A Fish in 2011.

The partnership owns and manages five fishing vessels, namely the ‘Anne Mary B’, ‘Prosperity’, ‘Ivy May’, ‘Julia Anne’ and the ‘Boy Christopher’.

Mark Merrick, B&M Fishing director, said: “We’re pleased to add the custom-built ‘Boy Christopher’ to our fleet.

“The specific features that we’ve chosen will improve efficiency and allow us to continue using fishing methods that have a low environmental impact.

“We thank HSBC UK for enabling us to achieve our vision, that will enable us to keep up with customer demand by providing high quality and locally sourced shellfish.”

Alastair Woodford, relationship director at HSBC UK, said: “It’s fantastic to support B&M Fishing with the new vessel in its fishing fleet.

“This addition to its fleet of fishing vessels will ensure that the business can meet the demand from importers, wholesalers, distributors and retailers for high quality shellfish from the East Coast of England.”