POLAND
Fishing, processing, port management, and shipbuilding
Szkuner is the heart of Władysławowo Established in 1955, Szkuner is one of the largest fishing companies in the region as well as one of the oldest. Today, it makes up a substantial part of the Władysławowo harbour with its administrative, processing, cold storage facilities, and shipyard.
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n the 1950s, the company operated small fishing boats, but gradually brought larger units into service. As the company developed, the number of vessels grew, reaching more than 50 in the early 1980s. With the large and modern fleet in place, the introduction of processing was a logical next step, building a flake ice plant, a fishmeal and cod-liver-oil factory, and processing, storage, and freezing facilities. Since then, the fishmeal and fish-oil factory has been closed as an environmental initiative and the fleet reduced. In recent years, funds from the EU have helped introduce a modern cold storage, renew the production facilities, and improve the shipyard.
Five vessels remain Fishing and processing are Szkuner’s main activities, accounting for ca. 75–80 of the company’s turnover. Today, only five 25 m fishing vessels with maximum capacities of 80 tonnes remain, which fish primarily for sprat, herring, and cod in the Baltic Sea. This year, catches have amounted to ca. 5,500 tonnes of sprat, more than 500 tonnes of herring, and ca. 50 tonnes of cod. Thirty people, or six per vessel, are employed in this activity. To meet demand, this supply is supplemented with purchases from fishermen in Władysławowo and other ports. 42
Eurofish Magazine 6 / 2013
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Semi-processed products There are many companies in Poland that engage in final or full processing, but Szkuner sells only semi-processed products, primarily for further processing. This was a strategic decision made many years ago, during the pre-accession period, because further processing would require significant investments that could not be sourced. Seventy per cent of the products are delivered to the five major producers of preserved fish, ca. 20 are sold to smaller companies, and 10 is sold to wholesalers. In total, 90 workers are employed processing fish, with seasonal increases of about 30. Main products include frozen blocks of sprat that end as smoked or canned products, fresh or frozen herring fillets for marinated and canned products, and fresh or frozen IQF cod fillets. All products are sold to domestic companies. About adding final processing to the long list of activities at Szkuner, Michał Hernik, director of fishing and processing says, “We thought about whether to pursue this market, but it would require the construction of a completely new processing facility from scratch. We own a plot of land that could be used for that purpose, but it would require significant funding.” In 2008, a new cold storage was opened, increasing the total storage area to
Michał Hernik is director of fishing and processing at Szkuner and manager of the Władysławowo fishing port, which berths 60 fishing vessels.
2,000 tonnes. The company’s freezing equipment has the capacity to freeze 80 tonnes of fish per day. Fish waste is sold to Denmark. Mr Hernik is also the manager of the Władysławowo port, ensuring that the harbour’s infrastructure is maintained, supplying water, ice, and energy for vessels, and managing berths.
Modernising and repairing the Polish and European fleets The shipyard repairs and modernises more than 100 vessel per
year; ca. 10 are complete builds or reconstructions. Operations can be performed on steel or wooden units up to 30 m long and weighing 220 tonnes. Typical work includes painting, welding, construction, and repair. The yard is full of vessels and barges, and current projects include turning a vessel commissioned by a Dutch company into an offshore vessel that will work off the coast of Africa. Permits and clearance to work on police and military vessels have been granted, and this year, the yard has been ISO 9001 certified. This is a stamp www.eurofishmagazine.com
05/12/13 1:05 PM