November 10, 2021
Customer Spotlight:

New Fish Pumping System for Denholm Seafood

Denholm Seafoods’ new ValuePump system transfers pelagic catch a record distance from vessels to plant in Peterhead, Scotland.

Denholm Seafoods’ new ValuePump system transfers pelagic catch a record distance from vessels to plant in Peterhead, Scotland.

This pelagic season in Scotland saw the first ever direct pumping transport of pelagic catch from ship to plant over a distance of 250 meters. Using Skaginn 3X’s innovative ValuePump, Denholm Seafoods can now convey product gently through a closed, low-pressure pipe system with ice sludge directly from the ship into the production hall. Starting up in October 2021, the system is powered by Skaginn 3X’s Value Pump and the accompanying pipe system that is connected directly to the delivering pelagic trawler.

A pump for positive effect

“We wanted to automate more of our processes and find a solution that would positively affect our production flow, quality and costs,” says Richard Duthie, Commercial Director of Denholm Seafoods. “Our efforts to streamline our operation and implement further sustainability measures by not using trucks for catch transport led us to working with Skaginn 3X on this project.”

Maximizing yield, quality and throughput

Denholm Seafoods operates three modern purpose-built quayside plants in Peterhead, Scotland, which process herring, mackerel, horse mackerel and blue whiting. Different trawlers supply Denholm Seafoods with the raw material, each with their own type of delivery system that can be connected to the ValuePump transfer line at the dock. The new method not only keeps costs down, eliminating truck traffic between trawler and factory, but also maintains a regulated, steady flow of raw material into production that maximizes yield, quality and throughput.

A groundbreaking solution for catch transport

“No one has used this method before over this distance. We decided to go for it and chose Skaginn 3X as our partner,” says Wayne Summers, Engineering Manager at Denholm Seafoods. “We’ve had a long-standing relationship with them and we knew what they could do. With them and our inhouse experts we developed a groundbreaking solution for catch transport that helps us enhance our operation and keep our quality levels where we want them.”  

Pumps 60 tons of fish over 250 meters

Located in a new reception house on the quay, the system is made up of stainless-steel pipelines, a reception tank with conveyors and the automatic ValuePump that transfers 60 tons of pelagic fish per hour over a distance of 250 meters. “The screw pump method treats the raw material well, maintaining the quality of the catch through the process,” says Duncan Yule, Engineering Manager at Denholm who participated in the development of the project. “Our flow control is now a stepless process making it easy to adjust the capacity and throughput to what we need for production.”

ValuePump


Energy saving method supports sustainability

The ValuePump process creates substantial energy savings both in terms of the operational costs of the system itself — the ValuePump’s energy consumption is far less than that of conventional pumps — and in terms of eliminating traffic on the docks and the accompanying fuel consumption. “We have strict quality control standards that are designed to deliver quicker turnaround for our customers and keep our products sustainable,” says Duthie. “This latest addition to Denholm Seafoods operation is yet another step in lowering our carbon footprint.”


Better flow control, better temperature control

The new system delivers product optimized for further processing in a steady, regular flow, from vessel to factory. “There is a steady flow of fish in fluid ice from the pump into the plant without any pulse or variations,” explains Johannes Weber, Mechanical Design Engineer at Skaginn 3X, who oversaw the installation at Denholm. “With a continuous pace and a well-regulated, steady temperature, Denholm now has a consistent automatic supply of quality raw material coming in for further processing.”  

Gentle product handling maintains quality

During the Mackerel season, Denholm Seafood has seen the Value Pump deliver high quantities of raw material at a steady pace over longer distances than possible before. The gentle propelling principle of the ValuePump treats the raw material gently and along with the cooling capacity of the fluid ice, maintains the quality and value of the fish in the pipeline. “The ability to further cool the product in the system has proven to be very beneficial,” explains commercial director Duthie. “As a matter of fact, our Japanese buyers have commented on the better quality of our product after we installed the ValuePump.” Better quality is also gained by preventing product from being exposed to external stressors in the transfer process.

Collaborative effort key to success

"We started this development project after seeing trials in Iceland. When we saw the potential of the prototype there was no turning back. We had to have it,” says Duthie. “Our collaboration with Skaginn 3X has gone really well and their hands-on approach has delivered the result we wanted. It has all worked out well, the system exceeded our expectations and the project has been successful."


Fish pumping system at Denholm Seafood

Register for News from BAADER

Featured Stories