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The haddock specialist at the harbor |
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Archives -
2006 Archive
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Written by B Tyril
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Monday, 08 May 2006 |
Retaining its main focus on fresh and frozen haddock products for the UK market, Hvilvtenni increases its fleet of inshore fishing vessels while likewise contracting catches from other vessel owners at its recently approved sea landing station.
In the fishing village of Leirvík on the eastern coast of Eysturoy, seafood exporter Hvilvtenni has moved to increase its fleet of inshore fishing vessels while at the same time contracting other vessel owners to secure supplies to its well-established processing facility. With its fish landing station, similarly to the processing facility, approved for seafood handling by the Food, Veterinary and Environmental Agency (HFS), Hvilvtenni is set to stick with fresh and frozen fillets of haddock as main product line complemented by codfish, saithe (pollock/coley) and flatfish.
Over the past two years, Hvilvtenni has purchased two inshore trawlers, the Norðleivur FD 659 and the Birtingur FD 727, to join the company’s longliner, the Hövnin FD 900. In addition, regular supplies are provided by three other inshore trawlers, Sjóborg FD 457, Sæborg FD 830 and Dýrindal KG 374, plus supplies from day boats.
“Fortunately, we have no shortage of raw materials,” said Kjartan Joensen, managing director and owner of Hvilvtenni.
“Leirvík is an advantageous location from our viewpoint and major fishing grounds are just a few hours of steaming from here. We’re very close to Klaksvík and near the Tórshavn area as well, which makes shipping and logistics a relatively easy task. The Leirvík harbor is both safe and well fitted to our needs and I’d say it’s difficult to find a more suitable place from which to run a seafood export business in the Faroes.”
“There’s another great thing about this place,” Mr Joensen added. “In spite of the fact that several fish processors are located here we have excellent cooperation, yet we work independently, offering different seafood products.”
Managing competition: Since 1996, Hvilvtenni has exported seafood products to the United Kingdom and other European countries, processing 2,000 tons per year. In 2005 figures, the annual turnover equals approximately dkk 36m (eur 4.8m / gbp 3.3m / usd 5.9m) non-inclusive of the company’s three fishing vessels, with estimated combined net sales of more than dkk 20m (eur 2.7m / gbp 1.9m / usd 3.3m).
Depending on the time of the year, Hvilvtenni’s range of products—in addition to haddock, cod and saithe (pollock/coley)—includes monkfish, lemon sole and plaice plus, occasionally, wolffish (catfish) and redfish (ocean perch). The company’s export market is primarily the UK, with Germany and France ordering most of the monkfish tails shipped.
“Haddock is still our main specialty,” Mr Joensen said. “We offer it fresh iced and as frozen fillets skin on or off, pin bone in or removed, glazed or non-glazed. As for species like lemon sole and plaice, the summer is the season; cod, on the other hand, is more available during winter and spring.”
With a spacious fish terminal at the Leirvík harbor under the same roof as the company’s well-equipped, well-manned processing hall and large cold storage facility, Hvilvtenni has an optimized system for quick and convenient seafood handling. Using its own personnel to oversee everything from supply purchase to production and sales management, the company is able to serve a growing number of clients.
Strategically located at the quayside just a few meters across from where the fishing vessels land their catch, movements of cases and pallets are easily handled by the company’s own forklift trucks.
As for export shipping, readily available road transport services combine with regular container lines that link the Faroes to the UK and mainland Europe. “Every Monday and Tuesday we have shipments to the UK,” Mr Joensen said.
“Every Thursday there are shipments to Continental Europe and every Friday there are shipments to both the UK and the Continent.”
In spite of difficulties in achieving profits, which some of the major fish processors in the Faroes have suffered over the past couple of years over intensifying competition on the world markets, Hvilvtenni again last year reported positive financial results.
“There’s no denying that we’re under pressure from global low-wage competition,” Mr Joensen noted.
“But we have managed to stay afloat so far, much thanks to the special mix of people we have, from experienced and highly skilled to very young and enthusiastic people. We have a high working capacity and we are fortunate to have excellent staff who know exactly how to do their job. After all, it’s the people that make up the business.”
Link to pdf presentation...
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