Fastnet Investment flows into Grimsby Seafood Cluster.
October 16, 2024
Representatives of Government and the UK Seafood sector attended the opening of Fastnet Fish £2.6M cold store upgrade project, which was match funded by DEFRAs UK Seafood Fund.
Fastnet Fish managing director, Andrew Weightman, and the Fastnet team were joined by Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes MP Melanie Onn, DEFRA Fisheries representative, Matt Whittles, Seafish Industry Authority CEO, Marcus Coleman, Frozen at Sea Fillets Association ED, Julie Waites and Seafood Grimsby & Humber Alliance representative, Simon Dwyer, to celebrate the opening of the investment upgrade.
Andrew Weightman explained, "The investment has more than doubled the capacity of our temperature controlled warehouse and is now substantially more energy efficient, contributing to Fastnet’s commitment to decarbonisation – which is no mean feat in the energy-intensive cold storage sector."
The improvement initiative has resulted in increased capacity of racking of 2000 additional pallet locations, Solar PV array has produced 132,000 kWh of electricity in its first year – 11% of the total cold store electricity consumed, and new dock levellers and electric forklift trucks. All are contributing to strengthening the local economy - nearly all work carried out by local companies plus additional employment created in roles such as cold store manager and operatives and multi-drop driver.
Andrew added " Our aim is always to deliver a world class service and our dedication to responsible supply is an integral part of our business. We are committed to transparency and traceability and work closely with our suppliers to ensure we have full visibility throughout the supply chain. We have MSC and ASC accreditation, are members of SEDEX, FASFA (Frozen At Sea Fillet Association), and have been awarded BRC Global Standard for Agents and Brokers."
Simon Dwyer commented "Fastnet and the Andrew Marr International Group are a corner stone of the Grimsby & Humber seafood processing and trading cluster. This investment is part of a wider recent investment in infrastructure in Grimsby along with developing our skills agenda with future leaders which Fastnet have participated in.
The Fastnet group, part of the Andrew Marr International group, includes wholesale depots, a langoustine factory in Scotland, and sales offices in the U.K. and Ireland, has been providing high-quality, sustainably sourced seafood since 1980. With over 40 years of experience, we have become global sourcing experts in the seafood industry, supplying over 45,000 tonnes of high quality seafood to food service, fish and chip shops, and food manufacturers every year. Seafood supplied by Fastnet can be found on the shelves of every major supermarket in the UK and in many of the UK’s finest restaurants.