SeafoodSource is closely following seafood processing and equipment innovation by compiling a regular round-up of updates from the sector. If you have an announcement, please send it to [email protected]
- Seoul, South Korea-based Dongwon Group is investing KRW 100 billion (USD 72 million, EUR 66 million) in two new longline fishing vessels.
The company said the two 2,000-metric-ton longline vessels will be built by South Korea-based shipyard Korea Made and are scheduled to launch in 2026 and 2027.
“Dongwon Industries is strengthening the sustainability of its fisheries business through the introduction of this new fishing vessel,” the company said in a release. “By improving fishing equipment and increasing productivity, it has been able to reduce carbon emissions by operating the vessel with optimal energy efficiency.”
The two vessels will add to the company’s existing fleet of 39 vessels – which includes 19 longline vessels – that catches skipjack tuna, yellowfin tuna, bigeye tuna, and bluefin tuna in the Pacific, Indian, Atlantic, and Southern oceans.
- The Russian Crab Group has launched two new crab vessels – the Captain Egorov and the Captain Manzholin.
Both of the vessels are being built following the first round of Russia’s quota investment auctions, which tied access to fishing quotas to investments in modernizing the fleet.
"The work of the new crab catchers will have a positive impact not only on the company's financial results but also directly on the crews' salaries,” Russian Federal Agency for Fisheries Head Ilya Shestakov said. “I hope that we will increase the production of such vessels as planned and transfer them to customers, and as a result of the implementation of the second stage of the industry modernization program, Russia will have the most modern fleet.”
The Captain Egorov has a two-level hold with 32 independent tanks for storing and transporting live crab, with the capability to control temperature, salinity, and oxygen in the tanks to ensure low mortality.
The Captain Manzholin is a modern catcher-processor equipped with modern equipment to catch and process 15 metric tons of products per day, with a freezer hold that can hold 150 metric tons of product.
- Athol, Massachusetts, U.S.A.-based Starrett has introduced a series of new saw blades for meat, seafood, and food processing.
A manufacturer of saw blades, precision measuring tools and gages, and metrology systems said its new Skinner Blades and Stainless Steel Reciprocating Saw Blades are designed and USDA-certified to handle processing food products, including skinning and cutting fresh and frozen fish.
“We are excited to provide food processors with even more options for efficient and dependable cutting,” Starrett Product Manager Charlie Starrett said. “Starrett is committed to quality and continues to invest in state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment required to produce blades that offer precise and uniform cutting.”
- Warden Biomedia, a researcher and producer of filter media for water, wastewater, and biological treatment processes, has debuted a new filter media specifically tailored to recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS).
The new filter media, dubbed “Biopebble,” is a spherical filter media designed to reduce aeration energy requirements that is made from 100 percent recycled material. Warden Biomedia said the spherical design was based on a three-year research partnership with Cranfield University, and demonstrated superior metrics to standard industrial tubular-shaped biocarriers.
- Vigo, Spain-based Grupo Ibérica de Congelados (Iberconsa) has purchased a new fishing vessel that was formerly part of Samherji’s fleet.
Faro de Vigo reported that the new vessel is a 50.5 meter trawler that was built in Norway in 1988. The vessel, named Björgvin, will be utilized in the Namibian fishing ground where it will operate as a vessel fishing for hake.
Before it leaves for Namibia, the Björgvin will be given a technical update by the company in a shipyard in Vigo, Spain, to retrofit it for its new target species. Iberconsa is a vertically integrated frozen seafood specialist, with operations stretching across fishing, processing, manufacturing, wholesale and retail marketing, cold storage, and distribution. The company was acquired in 2019 by Platinum Equity, and in July 2023, Moody’s downgraded its solvency rating due to a high debt load. That rating was later elevated in December 2023 after it resolved those near-term debt concerns.
