A vessel that provides assistance to other fishing vessels, such as fuel supply, fish storage, refrigeration or processing, and/or periodic transportation of catches to shore. Some fleets use supply vessels to plant and check FADs and to maintain them. A supply vessel can work with one purse seiner or be shared by a group. Such activity allows a fishing vessel to access a larger number of FADs than it would otherwise be able to maintain.
Synonyms:
Support vessel, Tender vessel