A trade born from the sea and enduring through time

At NOVA MEDA, we are heirs to a long-standing family tradition dedicated to fishing. Our origins trace back to our great-grandparents, fishermen from L’Ametlla de Mar, who came to Palamós seeking new opportunities. In this port, due to its geographical location and weather conditions, mainly shaped by the tramontana wind, they found the ideal place to settle. The sail of the boat used the wind as a means of propulsion. Since then, five generations of fishermen have kept alive the spirit of a trade that combines effort, knowledge, and respect for the sea.

Our origins

It all began with a small wooden vessel, 14 metres in length, equipped with a 40 hp Laval propulsion engine, acquired by the shipowner Rosa Brull Brull in 1936 at the port of Palamós.

1973

Rosa transferred her rights to her son-in-law, Rafael Fornós Pastó, and to her grandsons, Rafael and Ramón Fornós Llaó, who continued the fishing business in the town. In order to further develop the business, they acquired the vessel Jaime, with a 140 hp Volum engine and 16 metres in length. The vessel was operated until 1986.

1986

Later, with brothers Rafael and Antonio Fornós Llaó leading the business, they acquired the Francisco Gallart, a modern wooden-hull vessel equipped with a 240 hp Barreiros engine and nearly 38 GT. The fishing business in the port of Palamós developed steadily, and the family became firmly established from a socio-economic perspective.

1996

The two brothers founded the company Fornós Llaó, Rafael y Antonio S.C. and acquired the vessel Juan y Virgilio, almost 19 metres in length and equipped with a 700 hp Guaschor engine. It later passed into the hands of their daughter, Florència Fornós Llambrich, and their two grandsons, Josep Antoni and Carles Cruz Fornós.

2023

In 2023, with the aim of modernising the vessel and continuing the family business, the Juan y Virgilio was dismantled, the company name was changed to Nova Meda S.C. and the fishing vessel Nova Meda was acquired, measuring 24.5 metres in length and powered by a 367 kW engine.

Nova Meda: tradition and family legacy

Both the name of the company and that of the current ship, Nova Meda, commemorate the name of the first ship that the family acquired in the port of Palamós, a mark of tradition and family legacy.