M/S ''Stålbas'' (also, ''Stalbas'' and ''Staalbas''), formerly the Norwegian Coast Guard cutter ''Stålbas'' offshore patrol vessel (; ; HNoMS ''Stålbas''; HMS ''Stålbas''), is a multifunction cargo vessel. It was converted to be able to perform crab fishing in 2021, and featured on the Discovery Channel USA show ''

Deadliest Catch ''Deadliest Catch'' is an American reality television series that premiered on the Discovery Channel on April 12, 2005. The show follows crab fishermen aboard fishing vessels in the Bering Sea during the Alaskan king crab and snow crab fishing ...

'' on

Discovery+ Discovery may refer to: * Discovery (observation), observing or finding something unknown * Discovery (fiction), a character's learning something unknown * Discovery (law), a process in courts of law relating to evidence Discovery, The Discov ...

and Discovery Channel Canada in the 2022 TV show season; and ''Deadliest Catch: The Viking Returns'' on Discovery USA for the 2022 fall TV season.

History

Fishing vessel ''Trålbas'' (1955–1976)

The ship was originally built as the

fishing boat A fishing vessel is a boat or ship used to catch fish and other valuable nektonic aquatic animals (e.g. shrimps/prawns, krills, coleoids, etc.) in the sea, lake or river. Humans have used different kinds of surface vessels in commercial, arti ...

''Trålbas'' in 1955 at Beliard, Crighton, Ostend, Norway.

Norwegian Coast Guard (1976–2000)

The NoCGV ''Stålbas'' (; ) was a

Norwegian Coast Guard The Norwegian Coast Guard () is a maritime military force which is part of the Royal Norwegian Navy. The coast guard's responsibility are for fisheries inspection, customs enforcement, border control, law enforcement, shipping inspection, enviro ...

cutter, an

offshore patrol vessel A patrol boat (also referred to as a patrol craft, patrol ship, or patrol vessel) is a relatively small naval vessel generally designed for coastal defence, border security, or law enforcement. There are many designs for patrol boats, and th ...

in the

Royal Norwegian Navy The Royal Norwegian Navy () is the branch of the Norwegian Armed Forces responsible for navy, naval operations of Norway, including those of the Norwegian Coast Guard. , the Royal Norwegian Navy consists of approximately 3,700 personnel (9,450 i ...

, for 4 decades. It became a Coast Guard vessel in 1976 and renamed ''Stålbas''.

Civilian career (2000–2006)

The ''Stålbas'' passed out of Coast Guard service into civilian service in 2000, operating off the coast of Africa.

Norwegian Coast Guard

The NoCGV ''Stålbas'' (callsign: LNXH; pennant: W 314) returned to Coast Guard service in 2006, replacing .

Cargo vessel ''Stålbas''

The MS ''Stålbas'' was a

cargo ship A cargo ship or freighter is a merchant ship that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's List of seas, seas and Ocean, oceans each year, handling the bulk of international trade. ...

after the end of its Coast Guard career.

Fishing vessel ''Stålbas''

In 2010, the Stålbas was acquired by ''Barens Offshore AS'' for use as a fishing vessel.

Crabbing vessel ''Stålbas''

Snowcrab fisherman Bengt Are Korneliussen became managing owner in 2021 after an ownership shuffle following licensing problems at Barens Offshore that resulted in a revoked fishing licence, the licence problems were resolved with the ownership change. In Fall 2021, the Stålbas was converted by owner Bengt Korneliussen to be able to function as a crabber

fishing vessel A fishing vessel is a boat or ship used to fishing, catch fish and other valuable nektonic aquatic animals (e.g. shrimps/prawns, krills, coleoids, etc.) in the sea, lake or river. Humans have used different kinds of surface vessels in commercial ...

, crab fishing red king crab in the open ocean, unlike most Norwegian crabbers, which crab fish in the sheltered fjords. It would be one of the first attempts to fish such beyond the 6-mile limit in deep water in the Norwegian waters economic zone, fishing Bering Sea American-style, on the

Barents Sea The Barents Sea ( , also ; , ; ) is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, located off the northern coasts of Norway and Russia and divided between Norwegian and Russian territorial waters.World Wildlife Fund, 2008. It was known earlier among Russi ...

. That would be filmed for ''

'' and have American-born captain of

Sig Hansen Sigurd Jonny Hansen (born April 28, 1966) is a Norwegian-American Sea captain, captain and co-owner of the fishing vessel ''F/V Northwestern''. Since 2005, Hansen has been featured in each season of the documentary television series ''Deadliest C ...

serving as captain. The ship would return again for ''Deadliest Catch'' spin-off ''The Viking Returns'' for the 2022 North American fall TV season.

Specifications

* Engine: Wartsila Vasa 12V22 ** Single screw ** Engine power: * Overall length: * Waterline length: * Width: * Draft: * Displacement: * Capacity:

Coast Guard configuration

* Main gun:

Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/70 The Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/70, (Bofors 40 mm L/70, Bofors 40 mm/70, Bofors 40/70 and the like), is a multi-purpose autocannon developed by the Swedish arms manufacturer AB Bofors (today BAE Systems Bofors) during the secon ...

* Crew: ** 3 ship's officers ** 10 crewpeople ** 5 civil officers * Oil spill skimmer and boons

Registration

* * * fisher licence: T-174-K * GRT 854 * Callsign: LNXH * Flag nation: * Homeport: Aalesund, Norway * Owner: UNIS, Bengt Are Korneliussen * Built: 1955

References

{{Deadliest Catch 1955 ships Ships built in Norway Fishing vessels of Norway Deadliest Catch