A Loppa heading and gutting machine made by Måløy company Havfront has worked wonders for the catch-handling efficiency of Norwegian trawler Kagtind 2.
The ultra-compact Loppa header and gutting machine was ordered by fishing company Nergård Havfiske, and in January this year it was fitted on board Kagtind 2, where it immediately quadrupled the crew’s catch-handling throughput.
‘The crew are very pleased with this,’ said Johann Johansson, Nergård Havfiske’s technical supervisor.
‘The big difference is that they can hold the fish with both hands. So instead of having a 12kg cod in one hand and a knife in the other, they have both hands free to place the fish in the Loppa machine.’
A second Loppa is now being considered for Nergård Havfiske’s next newbuild.
‘The machine takes little space and it’s easy to maintain,’ Johann Johansson said.
According to Havfront’s Marius Strømmen, there are now 23 Loppa machines in use around the North Atlantic, with eight more being prepared for delivery.
‘We’re working with customers to develop the Loppa to meet requirements on board,’ he said.
‘We are looking forward to a busy season and we’re constantly working to make the Loppa more user-friendly for a larger weight range of fish.’
