The Thebes-class whaler is a model acquired by Maritime Imperial after our purchase of Oldport Engineering, a market leader in both the fishing and whaling industries. The ship was first designed in 1992, the culmination of two hundred and fifty years of prior experience in the industry, and would unfortunately prove to be the last original Oldport product when a downturn in the Maltropian whaling industry led to their untimely liquidation in early 2013. We are now proud to be able to bring the Thebes to the international market rather than leave such an excellent design to be forgotten.

The Thebes measures almost 77 metres from stem to stern, making it among the largest whalers in regular production. This considerable size provides it with great advantages over competing products, most notably its on-board production and freezing facilities which allow it to stay at sea for up to three weeks. The vessel also boasts a robust cargo hold, with capacity for two hundred tonnes of processed cargo. Bringing the catch on board is facilitated by a general purpose winch crane, mounted on a 360° rotating base located amidships. This is also why the ship rides comparatively low in the water. State-of-the-art buoyancy countermeasures minimise the risk of capsizing in even the most adverse weather conditions.

On acquisition of the design from Oldport Engineering, Maritime Imperial undertook to refit the Thebes with the most modern technology available to us. An improved comm mast, radar dish and sonar array allow far greater efficiency than in any previous incarnation of the Thebes and maximise its ability to coordinate with other vessels for large-scale commercial operations.

At Maritime Imperial, we appreciate the importance of keeping transit times low to allow quotas to be reached quickly and efficiently. Therefore, theThebes has been outfitted by an Enmar Industries DN-25 diesel engine, giving a steady and reliable source of power and providing the vessel with a top speed of 19 knots. The recommended crew size for maximum efficiency is 25, though the vessel remains operable with fewer.

Under Maltropian maritime law, we are obliged to conform with WA GAR #20, Suppress International Piracy. For this purpose, the Thebes comes equipped with two weapons lockers, one located in the wheelhouse and the other aft, for defensive purposes, to deter pirates or other attackers, such as crazed environmentalists. When produced by Oldport, the Thebes featured a machine gun mounted on its watchtower, aft. While the gun has been removed in our international export model, the tower remains to provide a viable defensive option for craft operating in dangerous waters. The standard purchase model of the Thebes comes with cutting-edge navigational equipment, including sonar and radar, and with all the paraphernalia obliged by its role in the fishing industry. Purchase cost, as standard, is 15 million NSD.