Flexible onboard processing of warm water shrimp

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»Vantage« and »Vanquish« are prime examples of Carnitech’s broad competences in terms of onboard shrimp processing. The greatest challenge was the limited space onboard combined with a specific demand for a high degree of processing flexibility.

Close co-operation with the owner of »Vantage « and »Vanquish«, who is very experienced in the field of onshore processing of shrimps, has led to the successful design of two identical shrimp processing plants with highly flexible plant layouts. Since space on board is limited, there was an obvious need for very compact arrangements. This proved a challenge, but one that seems to have been met to everyone’s satisfaction.

Specific Requirements

The factory trawlers sail in South American waters where onboard processing of shrimps is still a thing out of the ordinary. The shipowner, however, believed in the concept and set out to create something that would keep up with the current market demands. To this end, there was a specific need for high capacity processing lines providing various processing options. Otherwise it would prove impossible to meet the demands of the European, American and Japanese markets.

Automated and flexible

Production onboard is highly automated and requires but a minimum of staff. The processing flexibility manifests itself in a line split in two. Based on a grading system that grades the shrimps into six different sizes there is a line for cooking, IQF freezing and packing and one for chemical treatment, packing and freezing in horizontal plate freezers. This fully satisfies the need for differentiated processing and produces a flexible production flow.

Cooling in warm waters

Another great challenge in the design of these processing lines has been cooling. Warm water shrimps tend not to keep as long as cold water shrimps and thus it is of vital importance to keep them cool throughout the entire production process. Hence large tanks with cold water are integrated parts of the lines which also incorporate quick freezing.

Solid experience

In this sense the project is a pioneer project to Carnitech whose onboard shrimp processing experience has so far been limited to North Atlantic cold water shrimps. Thoughout the years, a large number of North Atlantic factory trawlers have been equipped with Carnitech lines and the experience and know-how derived from these projects have proved very helpful in the design of these plants for onboard processing of warm water shrimps.

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