Grimsby, UK: Fastnet Fish will spend £2.5m in the autumn to expand its cold storage after securing half the pot from the UK government’s seafood support fund. Fastnet’s £1.2m award, part of the second round of the UK Seafood Fund, will see the business significantly increase cold storage capacity within its existing South Humberside Industrial Estate site.
Fastnet, part of Andrew Marr International, hopes to finish the project within the next year with the help of main contractor Coldstar Refrigeration. Fastnet managing director, Matt Renshaw, previously at Young’s Seafood, said: “Coming from a business where we knew cold storage had been really tight across the industry, I felt like it was a great opportunity to invest and grow capacity for the town and the UK.”
“We are a key cog in the industry, and cold storage has been a real challenge, it is a fundamental and real foundation for what happens here.”
“There has been a lack of investment across the board. A lot of the cold storage is old, so to be able to do this, to help make Grimsby great again, is a source of pride. And it is great to see a number of companies really backing it by matching these investments in the industry.”
The UK Seafood Fund is a £100m fund set up to support the long-term future and sustainability of the UK fisheries and seafood sector. The fund is managed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
