Future changes in the global operation of the two large Dutch fishing firms Jaczon of Scheveningen en Vrolijk of IJmuiden might not be excluded in the longer term, writes Pieter Tesch, but in the immediate future the two firms would continue to operate as two separate companies as they are currently constituted, according to Jan Bakker, a director with Jaczon.
The announcement in May that Cornelis Vrolijk Holding BV would buy out all the shares of Jaczon caused quite a stir in the Dutch fishing industry. The two originally traditional family fishing firms have for years dominated the pelagic sector of the Dutch fishing industry and have become dominant players worldwide.
Even though there may have been a traditional rivalry between Scheveningen en IJmuiden on the North Sea coast of the province of Holland, Mr Bakker stressed to World Fishing that the two firms had always cooperated and that the respective family owners enjoyed a cordial relationship. Therefore he saw no problems for the two arms of the future new company to continue to work separately in their present form for the time being. "The owners of Jaczon wanted to reposition their business interests and felt that their old friend Cornelis Vrolijk would be the right person to look after Jaczon and its staff. The take-over procedure is due to complete by the end of the month," said Mr Bakker, who will stay on as director with Jaczon.
The new combined company will have more than 3500 staff, including its operations in China, Romania and Nigeria, and have an annual turnover of €250m. Jaczon has a fleet of eight stern freezer trawlers that targets herring, mackerel and horsemackerel in European and West African waters as well as interests six flatfish beamtrawlers, 12 smaller stern trawlers based in Carcarneau in France, 12 tuna boats in the Indian and Pacific oceans, nine reefers for the transport of chilled fish, meat and fruit, a trading company in frozen fish and storage facilities in the port of Vlissingen, province of Zeeland. Vrolijk BV owns seven stern freezer trawlers operating in European and West African waters, freezer storage facilities in IJmuiden and trades in frozen fish. It has also an interest in 70 smaller freezer trawlers that operate from Nigeria targeting prawns as well as fish processing factories in Romania and China and a prawn farm in Mexico.
