MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falklands’ on shore Loligo containerisation to improve quality and create jobs

Transshipment of loligo to refrigerated containers.

For the first time a whole season’s catch of Loligo Squid will be containerised in the Falkland Islands, an experiment set to improve the product quality and meet world export demands plus generating on-value added activities in the Islands.

The Falkland Islands floating dock facility FIPASS has been in full swing because to the normal fishing industry activity, comes the Loligo containerization experience and all the operations related to the oil drilling round.

At the east end was the British Antarctic Survey ship Ernest Shackleton discharging rubbish and taking on stores, while at the other was a Seaview Logistics trawler unloading its cargo of loligo squid into the hands of two teams of stevedores.

These teams, one local and the other from the ship’s crew, were toiling ceaselessly to stack the frozen blocks neatly into refrigerated containers, which almost obscured the ship from view. Waiting to take the full containers to nearby hard standing was a fleet of articulated trucks.

Normally, as Seaview manager Alex Reid explained to Penguin News, this trans-shipment would be from trawler to a larger refrigerated ship, or reefer, and would take place in Berkeley Sound.

But this season for the first time, his company together with partners Seafish Falklands, were attempting to containerise all of the loligo catch from their three trawlers.

Given the current heightened activity at FIPASS due to oil exploration and the tourism season, the whole operation was “a strategically nightmare” said Mr Reid, but storage in reefer containers as opposed to the hold of a ship was much better for the product.

So far the containerisation operation is going well, with the second ship currently discharging its cargo in this way. Its success, said Mr. Reid, was down to the magnificent job that South American Atlantic Services (SAAS) had done for his company and to the support received from the management of FIPASS.
So far also, he said the fishing and oil industries seemed to be working hand in glove to the benefit of all.
Containerisation was best for the product, said Mr Reid, but also allowed for much more flexibility of delivery through the worldwide container network.

This point was enthusiastically endorsed to the Penguin News by Director of Natural Resources, John Barton, who said containerisation could bring the opportunity for onshore value-adding activities such as preparing consignments to the requirements of particular clients. Mr Reid said his company was committed to containerisation as the way forward and keen to support SAAS in this regard.

This season’s experiment would, he hoped, prove that it could be done, although further expansion might be limited by the lack of hard standing for containers and particularly the lack of the reefer plugs, essential to keep the cargo frozen until the containers could be loaded for export.
Meanwhile, there is cautious optimism as the illex season also gets underway.

With more than 60 vessels so far having called into Stanley to collect licences to fish for illex squid, early estimates of a likely take-up of around 40 have already been exceeded, said Mr Barton.

Illex catches so far have been variable, reaching 20 to 30 tons per vessel per night, but averaging around 15 tons until just recently when a bit of a dip occurred.

So far it had been a better start to the season than there had been for a few years, but whether it developed into a good season would depend on whether these catch levels could be maintained and improved upon.

Unlike the loligo squid, which lives out its life in relatively inshore waters, the illex is migratory. Mr Barton said so far results from the high seas and areas further to the north of the Falklands had not indicated a massive illex presence, but this could not be ruled out.

By John Fowler – Penguin News - Stanley