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Reefer storage facility comes on-line
Latest phase of harbour developments gives Samskip the capacity to become a major provider of North Atlantic fishing fleet services
Only six months after work on the project began, June 26 saw the formal opening of a new bulk storage facility at Samskip headquarters at Holtabakki, Reykjavík.
Located next to Ísheimar, the company's reefer logistics centre, the facility is primarily intended to serve factory vessels and trawlers, and gives the Icelandic-based international shipping and transport line one of the best capabilities in the North Atlantic for providing landing, loading, logistics and other services to the fishing industry.
"I think it is safe to say that the opening of this facility means that we are now able to offer the widest range of services to the fishing industry available in Iceland, or anywhere else for that matter," Samskip Iceland president Knútur G. Hauksson told guests at the opening ceremony.
"The new building is designed to handle much larger consignments than the rest of the reefer centre. Goods can be stacked, rather than shelved, a much more economic solution for many types of frozen fish and seafood products.
"At the same time, the number of reefer plugs at the Ísheimar complex has been increased, and all goods entering the centre are now wrapped in plastic and bar-coded for more efficient handling. And as the new facility and quayside are on the same level, access for both vessels and vehicles has been considerably simplified."
The opening of the bulk storage facility, which can house some 3,000 tons of fish and seafood products and can easily be expanded to double that capacity, marks the latest stage in an on-going programme of modifications to Samskip's harbour facilities.
North of the new building, the quay at Vogabakki has been extended to a total length of 500 metres, and the entrance channel to Sundahöfn Harbour deepened. The increased landing capacity allows Samskip to serve a container vessel and five trawlers simultaneously, three at Vogabakki and two at Holtabakki.
The bulk storage project was managed by engineering consultants Línuhönnun, and the lowest tender, ISK 263 million, came from Keflavík Contractors. The building was designed by architectural studio Yrki, and its structural design and piping systems by engineers Hönnun. Refrigeration plant was installed by Frystikerfi ehf, and electrical wiring by Samey.
