9.1 Buildings
9.2 Civil Works
9.3 Site Requirements
Buildings for fish processing are subject .to internal. conditions of use which, in many respects, normally would lead to rapid decay of building components unless special precautions are taken. The various types of processing rooms will pose different requirements regarding insulation, surface finish, bearing capacity of floors, resistance to intensive high-pressure, hot water cleaning, resistance to chemical and mechanical wear, etc. Great care has, therefore, to be taken in choosing proper building materials and detailed design for fish processing buildings.
Buildings accommodating canneries should be planned in details with considerable emphasis on the hygienic aspect; sanitary facilities and control.
It should be mentioned, however, that all rooms used for full-time work should be equipped with a mechanical ventilation system, some with air conditioning.
Floors should be hard-surfaced, waterproof, non-toxic, non-absorbent and easy to clean. Preferably they should be constructed of reinforced concrete coated with 1-4 mm slurry epoxy or acryl, anti-slip treated. Heavy duty ceramic tiles can also be used. Floor to be graded towards concrete drain ditches (also coated), covered with galvanized fork-lift-proof steel bar meshes. Height in processing rooms should be 4 m.
Column and main beams should be made of reinforced concrete with smooth surface.
Walls should be smooth, waterproof, resistant to fracture, light coloured and readily cleanable. They should be constructed of solid concrete blocks to approximately 1.2-2.0 m above floor level, clad with multicoated aluminium steel sheet or glazed tiles.
All sheeting joints should be sealed with a mastic or other compound resistant to hot water and cover strips should be applied when necessary. Wall to wall and wall to floor junctions should be covered or rounded to facilitate cleaning.
Roofing should be with scantling of galvanized steel covered with asbestos sheets and gutters for rainwater. Ceiling should be of corrugated steel insulated against heat, and in noisy rooms covered with sound absorbing material, perforated plates or something similar .
Doors and windows should be made of aluminium or PVC-coated steel frames, single or double glesed depending upon the climate. All doors should have ample space for fork lift transportations (2.5 m x 3 m).
Area requirements in square metre for single operations for products and capacities described in chapter 4.2 are shown in Table 27.
The drains should have sufficient capacity for peak situations, and a system should be chosen so that water from processing can be separated from the general sewage water when there is a need for treatment.
Treatment of waste water differs according to governmental pollution rules and regulations.
Screening to remove coarse solids is an essential procedure regardless of further treatment (0.5-0.75 mm openings). Both vibrating and rotating screens can be provided.
Grease removal by means of a trap which allows the grease to float off is advisable for fish canneries.
Sewage from washrooms, etc. should be connected to the public sewage system or if this is not possible it should pass a septic tank.
Area requirements for parking space depends on local transport conditions.
The main roads in the plant area should have a total width of 5 m.
The surfacing should be designed to allow a maximum axle load of 10 tons.
Office space requirements should be assessed according to the activities to be administrated. Space requirements for offices in connection with the plant capacities described in this report will vary approximately from 45 m� to 90 m�.
Table 27 Approximate area requirements (m�)
Product |
Pre-treatment |
Smoking |
Packing . |
Filling/ |
Sterilization/ |
Capacity |
Tuna in brine | 225 |
190 |
400 |
275 |
350 |
20 |
Automatic skipjack production line | - |
350 |
400 |
300 |
250 |
10 |
Sardines in oil | 600 |
200 |
400 |
200 |
250 |
15 |
Pre-smoked small fish | 110 |
90 |
180 |
80 |
120 |
5 |
Fish paste products | 120 |
130 |
30 |
70 |
150 |
10 |
Salmon | 150 |
- |
60 |
60 |
120 |
8 |
Shrimp | 130 |
35 |
30 |
40 |
110 |
3.6 |
It is vital that a fish cannery be situated near a harbour to avoid high transport costs and other problems when fish is transported long distances after being landed. A cannery will also require labour electricity, water, and disposal of waste.
A large amount of fish becomes waste during the process of canning and because of this disposal of this waste should be considered during the selection of site. To avoid unnecessary cost by transporting waste to fish meal, or fish silage plants, it would be preferable to locate the cannery near such a plant.
The criteria to be considered when selecting plant site are as follows:
Size of the site required for the plant capacities described in chapter 4.2 are presented in Table 28.
Table 28 Site requirements (based on one storey buildings)
Plant |
Without provision for expansion (m�) |
With provision for expansion (m�) |
Tuna in brine | 4 500 |
6 000 |
Skipjack | 4 000 |
5 000 |
Sardines in oil | 5 000 |
6 700 |
Pre-smoked sardines | 2 500 |
3 500 |
Fish paste products | 3 000 |
4 000 |
Salmon | 2 500 |
3 500 |
Shrimps | 2 500 |
3 500 |