As the new trawler for Baffin Fisheries was being floated off in Turkey, its shrimp and Greenland halibut processing system was being completed, and the robot palletising system, designed by Carsoe in cooperation with Robotool, went through its Factory Acceptance Test.
The new 80-metre, Skipsteknisk-designed Inuksuk II is expected to become the largest Canadian-owned fishing vessel, with capacity for 1320 tonnes of seafrozen Greenland halibut or 930 tonnes of frozen shrimp.
‘This is a great milestone towards the delivery of Nunavut’s first new fishing vessel,’ said Baffin Fisheries chairman Sandy Kautuq.
‘This beautiful new vessel will allow us to increase benefits to Nunavut communities and improve employment opportunities and working conditions for our fishermen.’
A key element of the onboard factory, the robot palletising has been thoroughly tested and adjusted to meet requirements. The compact robot system efficiently sorts the frozen products by grade in a completed automated flow with no manual handling.
The robot has been customised to run in cold environments, as the temperature is kept at -15 to -18°C in this part of the factory.
The section was successfully tested and approved by skipper Johan Hansen and Baffin Fisheries CEO Chris Flanagan.
‘The test went as planned, and it is always a pleasure to invite our customers to join the tests live,’ said Carsoe project manager Michael Trolle.
‘On larger projects like this, it is important with a close and open communication with the customer. This is the foundation for a strong end result.’
The installation of the robot palletiser and the factory deck is taking place at the Tersan yard in Turkey, with Inuksuk II’s delivery set for mid-2024.
Baffin Fisheries is owned by Inuit Hunters and Trappers Associations in five Qikiqtani region (Baffin Island) communities.
