Sunwell Technologies Inc. is currently installing six palletised DeepchillTM Variable-State Ice systems on three vessels owned by Icelandic fishing company Sjolaskip for fishing mackerel off the African coast.
Gabriel Lopez, Sunwell’s Marketing Manager, tells World Fishing that two systems will be installed on each vessel following the success of the system fitted on another Sjolaskip vessel, the 120.7 metre “Heinaste”. He says: "The first system on “Heinaste” was installed in September 2000 and has saved it $2.5 million since then. Before installing the DeepchillTM system, they often had a surplus of fish that they would not be able to freeze. This surplus would have to be sold for fishmeal. With the DeepchillTM system, they are able to chill and maintain the entire catch until it can be frozen."
Sunwell patented the first slurry ice machine in 1976, and shortly after introduced slurry ice technology to the seafood industry, according to Lopez. Since then, slurry ice has been widely adopted in major fisheries around the world. Today, Sunwell has refined that technology to offer DeepchillTM Variable-State Ice – an ice medium that comes in many forms.
“The most effective state of deepchill can be pumped and discharged at different points in a vessel’s fish-handling process to optimise preservation results and fish quality. Additionally, both temperature and salt content in the deepchill can be adjusted and controlled to suit any preservation requirement,” says Lopez.
The palletised DeepchillTM systems are pre-assembled and factory tested as complete units, and consist of a DeepchillTM Generator, storage tanks, a distribution system, and controls. Lopez says: “Having the system palletised makes installation much easier and it can be put into operation very quickly. The system monitors the deepchill used at each stage during processing and records exactly what happens to the fish, so the client has a complete record of the conditions under which it was processed and stored."
Sunwell has installed numerous systems onboard purse seiners, long-liners and trawlers around the world. The DeepchillTM system offers many advantages well suited to shipboard applications: the small size of the equipment; its ability to utilise seawater; simple maintenance of the self-contained modular units; the pumpability of the deepchill and its cooling efficiency; and the ability to store and pump slurry with as much as 60% ice fraction. Each DeepchillTM onboard system is customised to meet the specific requirements of the species of fish caught, the type of vessel and the fishing methods used.
