The Calvo canning group incorporates three helicopters to its fleet operating in the Pacific Ocean.
Calvo purchased the three crafts from the American manufacturer Robinson Helicopter Company for its tuna fishing vessels.
The total investment surpassed Eur 1 million and according to Calvo’s spokesperson it was made “once the operative costs were analyzed and after consolidating the fleet in these waters.â€
Two of the helicopters will go on board the large tuna purse seiners “MontelucÃa†and “MonterocÃo", while the third will remain at the facilities the Calvo canning group has in El Salvador as a reserve craft on call. It will be used during the maintenance or revision period of the other two, enabling the purse seiners to carry a helicopter at all times.
This new aircraft equipment will allow increasing the angle of view during the fishing and enable a better detection of the tuna shoals, “which are difficult to locate in these watersâ€, according to the group’s director in Carballo, Ramon Calvo.
The helicopters purchased by Calvo are Robinson R44 Clipper I, “that differentiates by its reliability and its economic maintenance, a marine suitable craft carrying permanent hydro-floaters, which will allow to land in the water in case of emergency†Mr. Calvo said.
El Salvador is the location where the canning group has installed its new plant. Calvo will supply to all new markets from the Salvadorian facilities, such as United States, Mexico and Guatemala. The development of these markets will take place when the activity of the plant has been developed to 100%. At the moment, the tuna loins freezing phase has recently been completed. A second phase, aiming at the canning production will commence soon.
Within this new strategy, the group has constituted Calvo North Inc. America, a sales office located in Miami, Florida, which will provide support to the group’s companies in Esteiro and Carballo (called Line of Latin Specialties) and to the Salvadorian factory.
The objective is to obtain “an important share of the US market, mainly in the tuna tinned in format of six ounces, within the next three yearsâ€, explained Manuel Tabares, director of the North American division, emphasizing that the average US consumption per capita for this size is of seven tins per year, an important amount considering that the US has 280 million inhabitants.
Calvo indicates, however, that the US is a very complex market and of high segmentation; one of these submarkets, such as in the case of Florida, can already correspond to a higher volume than the Spanish marketâ€.