A pair of new freezing cabinets have been installed at Síldarvinnslan’s factory in Neskaupstaður, and these are expected to boost frozen production.
Built by Thorgeir & Ellert and Skaginn at Akranes for Síldarvinnslan, the two new freezer cabinets are larger than the four freezing cabinets already in use at the factory.
According to Ingólfur Árnason at Skaginn, these are the largest of their type and have a much greater production capacity than the older freezers.
‘We don’t know of any bigger freezing cabinets anywhere in the world, which is why they got the ‘Big Mama’ name. We’re pleased to see these being installed at the Síldarvsinnslan factory, where the first of the smaller freezers was installed in 2010,’ he said.
The new freezers are 4.60 metres wide, 5.40 metres deep and 6.10 metres high. The freezing surface area of each is 13 square metres, doubling the area and the capacity of the older freezers.
He said that freezing cabinets have the advantage over blast freezers that they make round-the-clock production possible, have lower power requirements and their power usage is more even. The freezing time is also shorter and they are more suitable for wholefreezing pelagic species.
