Mowi to install Skaginn 3X Sub-Chilling system at Herøy plant

Mowi has a signed a contract with Akranes, Iceland-based Skaginn 3X to install the company’s Sub-Chilling salmon cooling system at its Herøy, Norway processing facility.

The system, patented by Skaginn 3X in 2019, cools salmon down to -1.2 degrees Celsius and then uses the fish itself as a refrigerant, which “delivers better quality to the consumer and extended shelf life by up to seven days,” according to the company.

“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,” Skaginn 3X Norway General Manager Magni Veturlidason said in a press release. “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 will chill up to 30 tons of salmon an hour while eliminating the need for ice, allowing 20 percent more product to be shipped for the same price, Veturlidason said.

“Even if you choose to use 10 percent of the usual amount of ice to preserve moisture in boxe,s you still reduce both cost and your carbon footprint significantly as the weight of each semi-trailer will be about four to five tons less,” Veturlidason said. “This means great savings in terms of shipping costs, but most importantly, the method – from harvest to consumer – supports sustainability in the seafood industry.”   

The Sub-Chilling system is compatible for a range of seafood types, according to Skaginn 3X, and is currently being used for salmon and whitefish processing plants in Iceland and Norway.

“As the system has proven its performance both in terms of product quality and ROI, further sales are in the pipelines from Norway to Europe and beyond,” Veturlidason said. “We see great opportunities in Norway for our solutions as the country is the world's largest salmon exporter. In 2019, approximately 1.4 million tons of fresh salmon were exported. About 80 to 90 percent are transported by truck and about 10 to 20 percent by air. Roughly calculated, 300,000 tons of ice are exported by truck and 30,000 tons by air annually in 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.”

Mowi Nord Regional Director Ørjan Tveiten said the company saw the Sub-Chilling system as a way to become a more sustainable enterprise.

“We are constantly working with solutions that reduce our carbon footprint throughout the value chain. This is one of the systems that make salmon production even more sustainable.” Tveiten said.

Image courtesy of Skaginn 3X