Hampiðjan’s magnificent new netloft in Neskaupstaður where work started on 23rd January this year is already a hive of activity. Manager Jón Einar Marteinsson is delighted both with the new facilities and with work there getting off to such a strong start. The new premises are a huge improvement over the old facilities and this marks a significant change in the level of service the company can offer in Eastern Iceland.
‘The first vessel we had alongside was Venus, which delivered a pelagic trawl for repair at the end of February. Over the last few days the pelagic vessels have been making their way back from fishing blue whiting west of Ireland and now we can see a break until the fish make their way into Faroese waters, so they have taken the opportunity to bring the gear to us to be overhauled. Bjarni Ólafsson delivered its trawl last week and we’ve finished overhauling it. Next is a repair job on Hoffell’s trawl, and there’s a good chance there will be more on the way.’
Jón Einar commented that it is a pleasure to have this trawl work under cover, as previously much of this was done outdoors, with all the accompanying disadvantages and costs for the customer. This included the time that went into using a truck to take the gear to the repair area, and back again.
‘As a result, the staff can cope with more trawls and so our productivity has increased. This is a positive development for everyone. The improvement in facilities means that we are now working on production of two blue whiting codends and we can also accept more pelagic trawls for repair,’ he said, adding that this is a whole new world for the staff and a big change from what they had been used to.
‘The equipment has performed well and the crews are delighted with the facilities and the quick service in getting gear off and then back on board. The pelagic vessels can simply lie with the stern to the quay in front of the building and we spool the gear straight onto the workshop floor. It’s a pleasure to see these changes taking place. We’re taking full advantage of the opportunities we have to increase productivity and boost activity,’ he said, commenting that the improvements extend beyond trawl repairs. There has also been a major improvement in liferaft servicing with the advent of the new building, and this side of the business is now getting started.
‘The liferaft servicing has much better facilities and we can offer services we weren’t able to provide before. In the new building we can inspect deployable liferafts. These are liferafts that are inflated on board, and then lowered into the water with the crew on board. The inspection calls for these to be lifted up containing the weight they are expected to carry. This is something we will be able to do now, and I’ll be applying for an inspection licence for this type of liferaft,‘ Jón Einar Marteinsson said.