This winter has been rather mild in terms of stormy winter weather. Therefore it has been possible to keep up some work at the harbour. The last tasks will be to fill up the new parts at the tip of the bridge toe and lastly to lay asphalt on top.
The road No60 West of Reykholar towards Patreksfjordur has not been upgraded for several decades. But now long strips have been renovated. A new bridge is to be found crossing Þorskafjordur. A new road has been laid down along the beach towards Djúpifjörður and there is still a nother part foreseen that will still shorten the way West and to Isafjörður.
Everything has its time. Now our own Eggert Ólafsson has decided to try something new. He and his family, also Ólafur Eggertsson, have moved to Borgarnes and are trying out new work in the Aluminum smelter plant in Hvalfjörður.
We have hired new staff. This time from Germany, the Ukraina, Latvia and Poland. Natascha, Markus, Yuri, Karlis and Robert.
Contractors are still working on the repair and upgrade of the harbor at Reykhólar. Not many venture out onto the dock to avoid being hit by the contractor's large vehicles and equipment. But our own Unnsteinn Birgisson is particularly good at making drone photos of the activity area.
Since the port of Reykhólar is in a state of limbo, the annual algal meal bulk-freighter cannot reach the dock. Instead, the towers are emptied into meal-containers and transported to Hólmavík (62km away). Considerable swithches and arrangements are needed to get the meal from the towers into these top-less containers to facilitate the annual export this time. Specially lined containers, additional extension of nozzles and augers that pump meal from towers, 4 trucks on non-stop trips, a whole gang of drivers and the harbor scales at Hólmavík are all involved in this extraordinary project.
Easing the trucks towards the factory facility had to be planned in detail. The fence had to be taken down and the gates widened. The containers must not be overfilled either, because then there is a risk that the axle-weight limit on regional roads might be surpassed. These transfers will probably last three full working days.
The project has tested team working abilities, thinking out of the box and has been unusual, challenging and a little exciting all at the same time. When finally all the seaweed meal from last Asco season lands in the ships' hold, all the winter work in Thorverk seems absolutely insignificant!
In a conversation with the drivres they admitted that there are birds with youngs that line the roads as well as rows of ewes and lambs on the roadside. They drive carefully and rather slowly with all this weight.
We welcome still two new memers to our group of summer-staff. Matilde and Michael.
Most likely, they enjoy the first days as they can spend some time outdoors. July is not very warm this year, but sunny. Here pics that show cleaning of the rawmaterial hold - on land, and roads around the industrial plant. No rawmaterial for the moment, and then thorough cleaning between batches is pushed afloat as usual.
Since 1976 Thorverk has harvested kelp annually in Breiðafjörður. It only grows on patches in the neighbourhood and in places it is mixed with Laminaria hyperborea. On June 22-26 2023 two divers and a boat equipped with an accurate scanner went to sample kelp from these grounds. The research is lead by the Icelandic Marine Research Institute, the department of algal research and partially funded by the Ec Eureka- Eurostars programme.
Thorverk uses a local, legal way to plant trees in the Reykhólahreppur-community that should take up carbondioxide from Thoverk's annual fuel emissioins. In 2023 Thorverk bought 3.200 trees of mixed species. The employees in the industrial plant (20 persons for 2 days) go as a team with a leader to plant all these trees in early June.
The number of trees is calculated in accordance with the Icelandic forestry association (also available in French and English) and the Kolviður sequestration calculators. Kolviður is the Icelandic carbon fund, and shows calculators that can help to decide how many trees to plant compared to how much fuel emissions you want to mitigate.
During the winter 2022-2023, huge work equipment from Borgarverk has been constantly criss crossing Thorverks homeground and Reykholar peers and harbor. The peers are being widened and lengthened, sealing way has been deepened. The Road administration and the contractor employees have communicated and found solutions to an acceptable division of the work area without any conflicts.
Thorverk uses a large crane when landing kelp and seaweed, but it can be said that it is like a fly compared to Borgarverk's huge crane. Once before Christmas, everything shook with rage inside the Thorverk factory just as if an eruption was about to begin.
