HB Grandi: Great results with new system

The new refrigerated sea water (RSW) system that was fitted on board Faxi RE this summer has already proved its worth according to Magnús Róbertsson, production manager at HB Grandi's Vopnafjördur factory. He said that Faxi's crew quickly got to grips with the new system and it is resulting in better catch quality and higher export values, reports www.megafishnet.com with reference to HB Grandi.

The new RSW system was fitted in Reykjavík, where the installation started in May. There was a considerable delay that kept Faxi from fishing until the beginning of this month. Faxi spent is most recent trip on the Thors Bank, and according to Hjalti Einarsson, skipper for this trip, they have been concentrating on fishing mackerel, although there has been a proportion of herring in the catch as well.

‘Catches have been fine. The fishing has been rather patchy, but if you can hit the right spot, the fish are there to be had. So far today around 20% of what we have taken is herring mixed in with the mackerel and we are aiming for around 350 tonnes, which is what the factory in Vopnafjördur needs to keep production running, as long as Ingunn AK and Lundey NS do the same, skipper Hjalti Einarsson told us yesterday, expecting to dock at Vopnafjördur tonight.

He said that it took a little while to get used to the new RSW system, but now everything has been tuned to get the best results.

‘The chilling is working very well and now we have started adding an amount of salt to the tanks during the steam home or when we get there as this gives us stiffer and better looking fish,' Hjalti Einarsson said. As well as the new RSW system, a new net drum was also fitted, and although it hasn't seen a great deal of use yet, he commented that it promised well, allowing them to use larger trawl gear and handle big hauls of fish more easily.

Magnús Róbertsson at Vopnafjördur said that there is no doubt the investment in the new RSW system will prove to have been highly worthwhile.

‘The old slush ice system that Faxi had on board did well, but with an RSW system it's possible to keep a more steady temperature in the holds that results in higher quality raw material. The fish remain firmer. Taking short tows and small hauls also contributes to better quality in the raw material and the finished product,' Magnús Róbertsson said.