Hampiðjan’s Westmann Islands branch opened in March this year and began trading in April, with everything required for maintaining fishing gear, as well as a product range that includes lifting equipment, protective gear and survival suits.

‘We aim to begin work on the net loft extension in two to three weeks, and this has been delayed with people being away on holiday,’ said branch manager Ingi Freyr Ágústsson.

‘We have been busy making people aware of what we are doing here, so we see a bright future here in the Westmann Islands,’ he said. ‘We have developed a new bottom trawl design that is to be trialled soon on board Frár VE-78. We have also produced some pelagic trawl bellies and redfish codends for Hampiðjan’s Reykjavík net loft. Apart from that, we’re excited that the new net loft is about to become a reality and we’ll have the best possible facilities to work with.’

At present the building is 20 metres long and 18 metres wide, providing a 360 square metre floor space. The building is to be lengthened by an additional 40 metres to provide an extra 1080 square metres of workshop space, which will include lanes for handling pelagic trawl gear, space for purse seine work and facilities for both wire and DynIce warps.

‘All of the construction units are being delivered from Denmark. The supplier there specialises in this kind of work, and recently erected two steel-framed buildings for Hampiðjan’s partner company there,’ Ingi Freyr Ágústsson said, commenting that Hampiðjan in the Westman Islands expects to have a staff of six or seven when the new building is in place and the branch currently has a staff of three.