One of the largest salmon producers has opted to install an ice-free Sub-Chilling system from Skaginn 3X.
Mowi has placed the order for a system to be supplied to its Herøy production facility.
“This is one of the systems that make salmon production even more sustainable,” said Ørjan Tveiten, regional director of Mowi Nord, adding that the company strives to work with innovations that reduce its carbon footprint throughout the value chain.
The system to be supplied to Mowi will have the capacity to sub-chill up to 30 tonnes of salmon per hour. There’s some extensive research and development behind the Sub-Chilling technology which brings the temperature of the fish down to 1.2°C without ice. The technology uses the fish as its own cooling refrigerant, and the cooled fish maintain the temperature longer than those chilled using ice.
According to Skaginn 3X, this delivers better quality to to consumer and extends shelf life by up to seven days.
“We are proud to have Mowi as our customer and excited to take on this project. This will be the largest salmon slaughterhouse that uses our patented cooling technology,” says Magni Veturliðason, general manager of Skaginn 3X AS in Norway.
“This is an important milestone for us as it is yet another confirmation of the fact that the future of cooling and preserving the quality of seafood lies with our patented method of Sub-Chilling.”
The new system at Mowi with its 30 tonne/day capacity promises to deliver significant savings in shipping costs. With no ice required, 20% more product can be shipped for the same cost.
“Even if you choose to use 10% of the usual amount of ice to preserve moisture in boxes you still reduce both cost and your carbon footprint significantly as the weight of each trailer will be about 4-5 tonnes less,” Magni Veturliðason explained, commenting that the company sees significant potential for its systems in Norway, the world’s leading salmon exporter.
“In 2019, approximately 1.4 million tonnes of fresh salmon were exported. About 80-90% are transported by truck and about 10-20% by air. Roughly calculated, 300,000 tonnes of ice are exported by truck and 30,000 tonnes by air annually from Norway alone. It is neither sustainable, nor cost effective to be shipping ice around for the same price as the fish itself. Eliminating ice from the cool chain creates tremendous opportunities for savings.”
