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Crab processing with Carnitech
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As part of a major refit, Carnitech had to remove the shrimp factory deck onboard IKKAMIUT to replace it with a crab processing plant on two decks IKKAMIUT used to be a shrimp trawler, owned by the former Icelandic NASCO group but has now been converted at the Karstensen Shipyard in Skagen for new owners IKKAMIUT SEAFOOD to operate as a snow crab processing vessel in Greenland. As part of the major refit, Carnitech had to remove the shrimp factory deck that the company fitted when the vessel was a shrimper, to replace it with a crab processing plant on two decks. The ship is having new accommodation fitted, and there are numerous other changes that have to be made to bring it up to today’s standard for modern processors. The shipowner IKKAMIUT SEAFOOD is situated in Maniitsoq in Greenland. IKKAMIUT will be operating only as a processor, and buying crabs from local fishermen. This is the fifth snow crab factory deck that Carnitech has installed for Greenland. The old trawl deck houses the first stage of the process, and the original factory deck is where the washing, packing, weighing, cooking, cooling, brine freezing, glazing and afterfreezing processes take place.
History of the Snow Crab
This fishery started about five years ago in some areas of west Greenland waters, and as yet there has been no snow crab fishery in east Greenland. »There is snow crab fishing in Canada, but the difference is that their processing is mainly carried out on land. The vast nature of Greenland makes it difficult to create land-based production facilities. However, Carnitech has still delivered a few landbased crab processing factories in central places of Greenland The Atlantic Snow Crab (Chionoecetes opilio) is the most important commercial crab species in eastern Canada and Greenland. Since females never exceed the commercially acceptable and legal minimum size, they are returned to the sea by the fishermen. Only the males are harvested. The snow crab is a crustacean (like lobster and shrimp) with a flat and almost circular body, slightly wider in the back. It has five pairs of long spider-like legs that are somewhat flattened, the first one being equipped with claws. The fully grown male is almost twice as large as the female, reaching (although rarely) a maximum shell width of 16.5 cm and a weight of 1.35 kg.
Why Carnitech?
“When we were to decide on the suppliers of crab processing equipment for the IKKAMIUT”, Bjørn Overgaard explains, “the choice was clear - Carnitech! We have known Carnitech for many years, as our shrimp trawlers have been equipped with Carnitech processing equipment for several years. We have always been very satisfied with the high quality and efficiency of the Carnitech equipment” says Mr Overgaard. “Besides, Carnitech knew about the Danish Authorities’ strict demands for onboard processing equipment, which was very important for us. With more than 20 years in the food processing industry, we were convinced that Carnitech could provide us with a good service – both during the planning, production, installation and after-sales processes ” ends Mr Bjørn Overgaard.
Huge Carnitech Knowhow
Many years of close cooperation with the international fishing industry has established Carnitech as the market leader in providing innovative complete processing facilities for fish, shellfish and crabs – on board and ashore. Carnitech has specialized in the complete processing technology, including design, manufacture and installation of complete, tailor-made factories for crabs and holds vast experience within this particular field. Based on many years of experience in manufacturing plants and equipment for on board and landbased crab processing equipment, today Carnitech can offer you a wide range of machines and equipment:
The Crab Processing Line - onboard
For rational reasons the IKKAMIUT trawler is constructed as a floating crab processor, buying in the crab catch from other fishermen and thus processing the crabs for further sales. The complete crab factory from Carnitech is capable of not only handling a huge production capacity but also a fast and efficient production process. When the crabs get on board the crab trawler, they are alive and are therefore kept in huge tanks containing sea water. Here they are kept alive in order to preserve the freshness of the crab meat, before going on in the further processing. The tanks are produced in stainless steel and are capable of containing a large amount of live crabs. When the crabs leaves the tanks they are preliminary graded in sizes before they are declawed.
Cleaning & Declawing
From the sea water tanks, the crabs are led by conveyors to a cleaning and declawing station, where they are manually cleaned and washed for impurities. In the same process, the claws are removed and led by a conveyor further on to washing/ bleeding tanks on the factory deck.
Grading & Packing in Stainless Steel Trays
After declawing, the crab claws are led to the factory deck, where they are graded according to size and weight. Once graded, the claws are packed into stainless steel trays and stacked into racks going by a mono rail crane system to furtherprocessing.
Cooking & Cooling
The factory deck is fitted with two cookers, three coolers and three pre-chill tanks. Characteristic for the cookers are their ability of cooking the crab claws fast and uniformly. Placed in racks the crabs are transferred into the efficient Carnitech cookers and immediately after they are dumped rapidly into cold water. “It is very important that the crab meat is rapidly cooled down, after having been cooked, as it results in a high quality meat taste, texture and appearance”, area sales manager, Gert Nielsen explains.