Russian president Vladimir Putin ceremoniously launched yesterday JSC Gidrostroy’s state-of-the-art pelagic processing plant outfitted by Skaginn 3X. During a ceremony at the Far East Economic Forum in Vladivostok, the president used a remote activation system to turn on the plant, which is located on the island of Shikotan.
Gidrostroy's new processing plant, which has the capacity to grade, pack and freeze 900 tons of pelagic product per day, is powered by a high-tech turnkey solution innovated by Icelandic processing technology leader Skaginn 3X along with partners Frost and Rafeyri.
President Putin was joined by Gidrostroy founder and chairman Alexander Verkhovskiy, who established the Kuril Island-based company in 1991 and has turned it into one of Russia’s largest pollock fishers and processors.
“We at Skaginn 3X are extremely proud to have the opportunity to participate in this historic modernization of Russia’s fisheries sector,” says Skaginn 3X Russian regional manager Pétur Jakob Pétursson. “This was a momentous project, exporting and transferring a 15-year legacy with extensive knowledge and innovation in the pelagic sector.”
“Our solution maximizes automation, gentle product handling and quality — triggering a competitive advantage that will undoubtedly result in increased demand and value,” he adds.
The 9,000-square-meter facility will be the largest and most automated pelagic fish processing plant in the region. It will spur job creation while streamlining processes and reducing waste. The plant’s innovative freezing technology from Skaginn 3X improves overall product quality, and Gidrostroy anticipates that the demand for its fish from mainland Russia and China will steadily increase.
At the signing ceremony last year, chairman Verkhovskiy expected that the new factory would bring more jobs and development to Shikotan Island, and after conducting talks with various technology providers around the world, it was an “obvious choice to work with the Icelandic companies.”
As a leader in onboard and onshore pelagic processing, Skaginn 3X has provided the technology for several facilities including the world’s largest pelagic plant, a facility for the Faroese firm Vardin, as well as a fully-automated system in a plant for Pelagos, which is also in the Faroe Islands. Eskja’s 700-square-meter plant in Iceland is also powered by Skaginn 3X solutions, now producing 900 tons of pelagic product per day. Likewise, a current project with Franco-Dutch fisheries firm France Pelagique is expected to close before the end of 2019.
France Pelagique has contracted Havyard Ship Technology to design and build a new trawler that will bring state-of-the-art technology to its pelagic fishing efforts. Skaginn 3X will outfit the new trawler, slated for delivery by the end of the year, with its proprietary technology for grading, packing, freezing and palletizing the vessel’s catch.
