Fish-Processing Refrigerator Ship

a fishing vessel that receives fresh fish from the catching vessels, freezes the fish, and then delivers the fish to port or to a refrigerator vessel. Fish-processing refrigerator ships were first used in the first half of the 20th century. Their use was necessitated by increased distances between the fishing grounds and the fleet’s base port and by the absence of refrigeration units on the majority of catching vessels. Fish-processing refrigerator ships may be equipped with devices for removing the head and viscera of the fish, for filleting, and for processing the waste products. Some have a stern slip for hauling in trawls containing the catch left by the catching vessels. Fish-processing refrigerator ships designed in the USSR for inland bodies of water use a fish pump for receiving the fish from catching vessels. Sometimes these vessels are used for independent fishing (for example, in catching sprats) that involves attracting the fish to the fish pump by a light source.

The length of the largest fish-processing refrigerator ships exceeds 130 m. The hold capacity is 5,000 cu m, and the speed is 16 knots (about 30 km per hour). Such vessels are capable of freezing as much as 100 tons of fish daily. With the appearance of factory ships and large trawlers equipped with powerful refrigeration units, the importance of the fish-processing refrigerator ship has declined.