The context
The solution is obvious: product quality must be improved to maintain a competitive edge, while the operating costs of the vessels must be decreased to remain competitive.
RECOICE project represents an environmentally sound means to make progress on both quality improvement and cost reduction by developing a cost-effective on-board liquid ice making machine for small-size fishing vessels.
In order to eliminate melting of pre-manufactured ice between the site of its production and consumption, which is the principal need identified previously, we propose the use of an on-board ice-making machine. Transportation and preventing ice from melting is a serious problem especially in the summer fishing season. Small-scale ice-making machines for fishing boats are currently on the market, but only as a separate system. They can be easily fit in many fishing boats but need an additional power source. That required power could come from a new diesel engine/generator or be produced using the existing engine, increasing its diesel consumption. However, increasing fuel consumption of a low efficiency, high-emission engine could not be advised as a state-of-the-art solution.
