Icelandic fishing and processing group Síldarvinnslan has laid up two of its older trawlers, replacing these with a single vessel.
The newcomer to the fleet is fresher trawler Birtingur, which was built in Taiwan in 2009 as Thórir for Skinney-Thinganes. In 2019 it underwent an extensive refit that included increasing its length by ten metres. The processing deck and deck machinery systems have been extensively updated, and it has been brought fully up to date with the latest standards.
Birtingur has been alongside in Hafnarfjörður since it was acquired by Síldarvinnslan. With two of the company’s older vessels taken out of service, Birtingur has completed a short shakedown trip and is expected to begin fishing after Easter.
It will operate with two crews under skippers Hjálmar Ólafur Bjarnason and Einar Ólafur Ágústsson.
Two trawlers have been taken out of service. Jóhanna Gísladóttir was built in Denmark in 1998 and has been part of the Síldarvinnslan fleet since late 2021. It completed its last trip for the company with a capacity trip on redfish that was landed in Grindavík.
Gullver has a longer heritage, was built in Flekkefjord for Seyðisfjörður fishing company Gullberg in 1983. The company and its trawler were acquired by Síldarvinnslan in 2014, and subsequently formally merged. Gullver landed its final trip of 110 tonnes in Hafnarfjörður.
