Optimar enables onboard freezing of fresh fish at twice the speed

Vessel-based freezing of fish immediately after it has been caught and processed ensures a high level of nutrients and quality for the consumer. Freezing can be done vertically in large blocks, or, more preferably horizontally, where fish filets are preserved in smaller blocks, market-ready with no need for further processing.

However, horizontal freezing requires both more space on board and an efficient coolant. Today, ammonia is the most widely used freezer gas in the maritime industry. Besides being flammable and explosive, the use of ammonia poses risks of toxic exposure to both crew and the environment.

The H6 Freezer from Optimar is created to freeze fish horizontally using CO₂ as the active coolant. More commonly used in larger facilities on land, recent technological developments have made the onboard use of CO₂ more accessible. Besides being less hazardous in use, the production of CO₂ requires less energy than ammonia.

The H6 Freezer is equipped with specially designed freezer plates, which in combination with the use of CO₂, can freeze up to 5 metric tons of fish simultaneously. This is twice the speed of conventional onboard freezers. These plates also yield fish blocks that do not need to be planed afterwards for further production, thereby reducing food waste.

The freezer mainly operates on its electric motor rather than its hydraulic motor. This minimises the need for hydraulic oil, along with the risk of discharges to the sea that can be harmful to wildlife and the environment.

In addition to speeding up the freezing process, the H6 Freezer operates automatically, reducing the need for manual labour and large conveyor belts. Altogether, this means that each fishing vessel can freeze just as much fish as before, with half the number of freezers. In-feeding and out-feeding can be done continuously during freezing, giving a total capacity per freezer of up to 75 metric tons per day.

As power consumption in a fish factory is highest on board the fishing vessel, cutting the amount of equipment needed in half will greatly reduce energy use.

In addition to cost savings related to the purchase and operation of freezers, shipowners can also use smaller ships, ultimately reducing CO₂ emissions.

Optimar primarily delivers solutions for the production of whitefish, where it is currently the market leader for onboard freezers.

The global market for wild species of whitefish is estimated at being at 6 million metric tons traded yearly.