Optimar H6 Freezer for onboard whitefish processing

• Published 20 February 2024; updated 13 July 2026; estimated reading time 2 minutes.
• Product: H6 automated horizontal freezer for fish fillets, using CO₂ as active coolant. The article says it can freeze up to 5 metric tons simultaneously and operates at twice the speed of conventional onboard freezers. Special plates make blocks that do not need later planing.
• Capacity and operation: continuous in-feed/out-feed; stated capacity up to 75 metric tons per freezer per day. The electric motor is used primarily instead of a hydraulic motor, reducing the need for hydraulic oil and associated spill risk.
• Claimed benefits: less hazardous coolant than ammonia, lower energy consumption, less equipment and manual labour, reduced food waste, and potential to use smaller vessels. The article says vessels can freeze the same amount with half the number of freezers.
• Market: whitefish processing; the article calls Optimar a market leader in onboard whitefish freezers and estimates 6 million metric tons of wild whitefish traded globally per year.
• Contact: Per Vidar Lange, Sales Manager, Per.Vidar.Lange@optimar.no. Optimar AS, Valderøyvegen 1129, 6050 Valderøya, Norway. Website: optimarglobal.com.
• Availability: page says available. Listed industry: aquaculture and fisheries. Linked SDG: 9.

Additional captured detail 1

• Published 20 February 2024; updated 13 July 2026; estimated reading time 2 minutes. Listed as available under Aquaculture and fisheries.
• Optimar’s H6 Freezer freezes whitefish fillets horizontally into market-ready blocks using CO₂ as coolant. Onboard freezing soon after catch is intended to preserve nutrients and quality; horizontal blocks need no further planing, reducing processing and food waste.
• The article contrasts CO₂ with ammonia, which it says is widely used in maritime freezers but is flammable/explosive and can expose crew and the environment to toxic risk. It says recent developments have made onboard CO₂ use more accessible and that CO₂ production uses less energy than ammonia.
• Special freezer plates combined with CO₂ can freeze up to 5 tonnes at a time, which the company describes as twice the speed of conventional onboard freezers. The system mainly uses an electric rather than hydraulic motor, reducing hydraulic-oil use and risk of sea discharge.
• The automated freezer reduces manual labour and conveyor requirements. The page says vessels can freeze the same volume with half as many freezers; continuous in-feed/out-feed enables up to 75 tonnes per freezer per day. Halving equipment needs can reduce energy use, equipment costs and allow smaller vessels, which may lower CO₂ emissions.
• Market context: Optimar says it is the market leader in onboard freezers for whitefish. The global wild whitefish market is estimated on the page at 6 million tonnes traded annually.
• Linked to SDG 9, Industry, innovation and infrastructure, for reducing the carbon footprint of onboard fish freezing.
• Contact: Per Vidar Lange, Sales Manager, Per.Vidar.Lange@optimar.no. Phone number is behind a collapsed reveal control. Company: OPTIMAR AS, Valderøyvegen 1129, 6050 Valderøya, Norway; optimarglobal.com/en.