A brand new fish factory which has risen from the ashes of a processing plant devastated by a huge blaze will open in time for the fishing season.
When a fire broke out at Northbay Pelagic’s Peterhead site in January, one of Europe’s most extensive processing plants was destroyed.
Regional leaders and the fishing industry rallied around the firm, offering to fulfill contracts temporarily and support workers.
Now a replacement for the sprawling factory is on the verge of completion, and will be operational by the time the new mackerel season begins in mid-January.
Speaking from the harbour last night, Peterhead Port Authority deputy chief executive Stephen Paterson said: “We understand the factory is close to being ready for operations. We’re expecting them to be up and running at the start of the mackerel season.
“The fire happened just the week before they were due to take in mackerel this year, so we’ve lost exactly a year of activity from the business.
“That’s clearly affected our figures from the pelagic sector quite significantly, but director Chris Anderson was kind enough to show us around the new factory recently and it is very impressive.”
Mr Paterson said that because the former plant was levelled by the blaze, Mr Anderson and the Northbay team have been able to design the new factory “from scratch”.
He added: “The attention to detail is astonishing, and he’s created a very modern and efficient factory which will be a major asset to Peterhead in the long term.”
Sections of Peterhead town centre around Kirk Square have been temporarily closed in November and December while construction workers finished the exterior of the new factory.
It is understood some fish has already been delivered to the site by road for trial processing.
Banff and Buchan MP Eilidh Whiteford said: “It’s great news that Northbay Pelagic is due to reopen in the next few weeks. I would pay tribute to everyone who has worked so hard to rebuild the factory.”
At the time of the fire, the firm was one of Europe’s major processors of pelagic fish and employed 120 full-time and 100 temporary workers.
The blaze began when an electrical fault in a store room ignited foams and plastics and raged for more than 10 hours.
No one was seriously injured in the incident.