F/V Faxi, Seafood

Iceland

The world’s largest onboard liquid ice system was installed by North Star Ice Equipment on the Icelandic super seiner Faxi.  The boat is owned by Faxi Mjøl, part of the Grandi company and one of Iceland’s largest fishing enterprises.

the project

The North Star system can produce over 200 tons of liquid sea water ice per day.  At the heart of the system, three North Star model 60 SS ice makers make liquid ice directly on their solid stainless steel freezing surfaces. Installed side by side on the boat, the ice makers discharge directly into a screw conveyor beneath. Ice then feeds into a monopump, which pumps it into a 130 cubic meter storage area.

In the mixing tank, the ice can be mixed with water as required, depending upon the water/ice ratio required for various processing applications. From this tank, liquid ice can be pumped to multiple use points throughout the boat. When the ship is located in inshore areas where water quality is an issue, the crew will feed crushed fresh water ice in the system.  The North Star design incorporates an extra opening in the screw conveyor, so this crushed ice can easily be added to the system.

client feedback

According to the customer, North Star liquid ice makers were selected because of their solid stainless steel stationary freezing surface, noncorrosive finish, ruggedness and proven track record.

Liquid ice, also known as slurry ice, is a mixture of sea water or fresh water flake ice and water. When applied it immediately fills all voids in the tote or container of fish, surrounding it entirely with ice for maximum cooling. Unlike most slurry ice, the water drains quickly and completely from North Star liquid ice leaving only ice and product.  This is very important because as the water drains out of the container, the salinity of the ice is reduced causing its temperature to rise, thus reducing potential damage to the fish tissue.