Qikiqtaaluk Fisheries Corp.’s new ship can process twice as much shrimp as the vessel currently in use

A new $100-million fishing vessel is expected to make its way to Nunavut in time for the 2026 fishing season.

“Saputi II will enhance product quality and efficiency at sea,” Harry Flaherty, president and CEO of Qikiqtaaluk Fisheries Corp., told Qikiqtani Inuit Association board members Oct. 7 while describing the new ship.

Qikiqtaaluk Fisheries Corp. is owned by Qikiqtaaluk Corp., which is the business arm of Qikiqtani Inuit Association, the organization responsible for promoting the rights of Qikiqtani Inuit.

Saputi means “fish trap” in Inuktitut. It’s also the name of the 76-metre-long ship currently used by Qikiqtaaluk Fisheries. Built in 1987, it will soon make way for the new, larger Saputi II.

Saputi II will be able to carry up to 1,100 tonnes of shrimp — twice as much as its namesake predecessor — or 750 tonnes of turbot.

The new ship’s onboard processing plant will be able to freeze 50 tonnes of turbot or 100 tonnes of shrimp per day, roughly double the capacity of the plant on the current ship. That should allow the Saputi II to fish for longer periods without docking, Flaherty said in an interview.

“It’s a beautiful facility with eco-friendly engines, dining rooms and a movie theatre,” Flaherty said. “So we’re looking forward to it.”

Designed by Norwegian company Skipsteknisk, with support from Allswater Marine Consultants in Nova Scotia, the Saputi II is under construction at Freire shipyard in Vigo, Spain. The ship is 79 metres long, 17 metres wide, and has capacity for 34 crew members.

With a price tag of around $100 million, Qikiqtaaluk Fisheries announced the deal to buy the new vessel two years ago. Now the ship is set to arrive in Canada in mid-May next year and make it to Iqaluit in August, Flaherty said, adding he will soon go to Spain to inspect the vessel.

Once Saputi II is ready to use, the older ship will be listed for sale.

In 2024, the old Saputi caught a total of 7,504 tonnes of seafood — 4,616 tonnes of shrimp and 2,888 tonnes of turbot, according to Qikiqtaaluk Corp.’s annual report.

Saputi II will be bigger than its predecessor, but still smaller than Baffin Fisheries’ newly-christened Inuksuk II fishing vessel. At 79.5 metres in length, the Inuksuk II is about a half-metre longer than Saputi II.