A development that began in 2023 is coming to an end as Vinnslustöðin’s new pelagic processing plant is now completed.
Alongside the new 6000 square metre plant built for the Westman Islands company, new reception and grading facilities are also ready. The new plant has takenm shape on the site of the old fishmeal store and now encompasses pelagic processing as well as part of the company’s saltfish production.
‘The project has mostly gone well, despite being considerably complex,’ said Vinnslustöðin’s technical manager Willum Andersen, commenting that the primary reason for this development was to compmy with regulations on weighing pelagic catches, which demanded new equipment that needed to be housed. He added that this is an investment driven primarily by state requirements.
Efforts have been made to improve the infeed to the herring machines and to increase their throughput rate, which could lead to more economic operation.
The project deviated from the original schedule when the decision was taken to revise decisions on equipment acquisition to reduce investment costs. For this reason, Vinnslustöðin has not processed any mackerel during this year’s season and the new weighing and grading unit is ready for use this month.
The development kicked off in the winter of 2023, and the next winter work went into laying pipes for a new filtration unit, followed by walls taking shape the following spring. Construction was largely complete in the spring of 2025 and the new filtration system was taken into use that winter. A drying system for capelin roe was commissioned on the upper level early this year. This spring pelagic grading systems were installed and the new weighing infrastructure installed.
