The F/T OCEAN PEACE was originally built as the AMFISH, one of the first modern catcher/processors built in the United States. The steel-hulled vessel was constructed in 1984 at Moss Point Marine in Escatawpa, Mississippi as a dedicated freezer trawler for the East Coast squid fishery and, at the time, was the largest catcher/processor vessel on the East Coast.
Ocean Peace, Inc. (OPI) was formed in December 1990 and purchased the AMFISH in February 1991. The vessel then underwent seven months of retrofitting at Tippett Marine in Seattle and began fishing the North Pacific in August, 1991.
The retrofit included state of the art equipment for the head and gut fishery in the Bering Sea, Aleutian Islands, and Gulf of Alaska. Special emphasis was given to the freezing system, which has a capacity of approximately 100 metric tons per day. The vessel has received many upgrades over the years including a completely new on-board factory in 2007.
The OP’s latest renovation was her sponsoring at Vigor Marine in Portland, OR — widening of the entire vessel from the keel to the upper deck. The improvements dramatically increased fuel and cargo hold capacity while creating increased operational stability.
Prior to the sponsoring, the vessel measures 220’ in length, 36’ beam and 1,144 GT. Currently, the vessel measures 220’ in length, 50’ beam and 1,600 GT.