About Themis

THEMIS stands for sustainability and environmental friendliness.

Sustainability and environmental friendliness.

It is not too much to say that our new vessel, which we have built at Karstensens Skibsværft A/S in Skagen, is helping to set new standards when it comes to environmental friendliness and sustainability in fishing. We have been fishing for several generations, and therefore it is very close to our hearts that there must also be fish for future generations.

We therefore only fish stocks that are sustainable. In addition, the new S144 THEMIS is optimized, in all possible places, in relation to energy consumption. It has been important with the construction of the new THEMIS to get an efficient vessel that is environmentally friendly in all possible areas and leaves as small a footprint on the climate as possible.

Despite the fact that the new THEMIS with its 63 meters is 16 meters longer than the “old” THEMIS, the energy consumption is reduced by about a third compared to the old THEMIS.

The new vessel allows for more efficient fishing and together with the optimization of energy consumption, it means that our fishing can help to produce food with a very low climate footprint.

Themis Fiskeri A/S is a member of the industry organization Denmark’s Pelagic Producer Organisation, in colloquial speech DPPO. Read more about our work here: www.dppo.dk

Fish leave a small climate footprint

It is no secret that the production of food leads to the emission of greenhouse gases. This is called the food’s climate footprint. In the EU, food production and food consumption account for between 22-31 percent of the EU member states’ total emissions of greenhouse gases. Therefore, it is not unimportant when the S 144 THEMIS collects its catches in a way that leaves the least possible footprint on the climate.

The consumer can therefore meet his protein needs with a clear conscience by eating the herring and mackerel which make up a large part of S 144 THEMIS’ catches. The herring and mackerel S 144 THEMIS catch leave a climate footprint that is significantly smaller than meat products – in fact, it’s down to the same level as most vegetables. For example, herring’s climate footprint from the production of 1 kg is 0.7 kg CO2 1) In comparison, beef is 13.9 and pork is 4.6.

Facts

Production of food results in the emission of greenhouse gases:

The climate footprint of selected foods

  • Herring 0,7
  • Beef 13,9
  • Pork 4,6
  • Chicken meat 5,5
  • Tomato 0,8
  • Rye bread 0,8

Source: Ministry of Food and Agriculture 1)

1) Source: Ministry of Food – the climate footprint of food during production

of 1 kg of food including all parts the food chain (production, processing and transport) until the product is in the supermarket kilo CO2 eq. per kg of food .

Meet our crew

Aksal Holm Nordfoss

  • 35 years old
  • Lives in Thorshavn on the Faroe Islands
  • Fishing skipper of the 1st degree

As coxswain aboard Themis, Aksal has in collaboration with the skipper, both the responsibility of navigating the ship, but also to ensure that fish get into the net. With a small crew of 6-7 men on board, administrative tasks are solved alongside the work on deck. “The best thing about my work is the freedom. I am typically at sea for 14 days, and then 14 days at home. When I’m at home, I can be present with my family, and when I’m out, I can devote myself to the sea.”

Despite the fact that fishing is one of the world’s oldest professions, the S144 Themis is a new and modern fishing vessel, and behind the vessel stands a shipping company with great ambitions for the future. “We are constantly testing new technologies in order to carry out the fishing as efficiently as possible. We live off the fish, and therefore we do everything to ensure that the fish and their habitats are preserved. We are constantly streamlining and optimizing our trawling equipment so that we catch the right species and size as quickly as possible.” Says Aksal in conclusion.

Sebastian Hansson

  • 33 years old
  • Lives in Hönö in the Swedish archipelago
  • Fishing skipper of the 1st degree
  • Part owner in Themis Fiskeri A/S

Sebastian is the skipper on board Themis, and has overall responsibility for the crew, navigation and catch. With the sea as a workplace, no two days are the same. “It is a very rewarding job we have! The most special thing and what gives the profession its charm is that you never know how the day will turn out. We can have days without a catch, where we get more and more frustrated, but then it can suddenly turn around in a few hours and the net is full. It’s a working life full of excitement and anticipation,” says Sebastian.

On board our modern fishing vessel, the facilities are about the same as in an ordinary home, so even though the crew have to do without their families, they live almost as when they are ashore. “It is very special when you are away from home a lot. But I like that freedom there is when you are out at sea. It is a new experience every time,” concludes Sebastian.

Our ship, S 144 Themis, was built by Karstensens Shipyard A/S in Skagen. We started construction in 2016 with the goal of building an energy-efficient and environmentally friendly ship that leaves as small a climate footprint as possible.

Although ours new ship is 16 meters longer than our previous one, constitutes energy consumption only one third.

Themis fishes primarily MSC-certified fish. MSC is one international certification that takes into account stocks, bycatch and impact on the marine environment. The herring we fish, has been MSC certified since 2009.
In 2021 caught we 35,714 tonnes of fish, of which 32,802 tonnes were MSC-labelled.
MSC carries out annual checks that their environmental standards are complied with by independent experts. The MSC-certified fish is kept separate from the non-certified fish, until the MSC label is stamped on the packaging.

FACTS about environmental friendliness in the new THEMIS

  • - Fishes on sustainable stocks
  • - Greenhouse gas emissions are reduced by 30% with the new THEMIS
  • - Environmentally friendly and approved base paint
  • - Surplus heat from engines is recycled to heat the ship
  • - Waste oil is recycled on land
  • - Electric winches use 70% less energy compared to hydraulics
  • - Energy-optimized trawls
  • - The ship's hull is built to offer the least possible resistance when sailing
  • - Led lighting saves 40% energy compared to the lighting on the "old" THEMIS
  • - Environmentally friendly cooling system

FAKTA om miljøvenlighed i den nye THEMIS

  • - Fisker på bæredygtige bestande
  • - Udledning af drivhusgasser reduceres med 30% med den nye THEMIS
  • - Miljøvenlig og godkendt bundmaling
  • - Overskudsvarme fra motorer genanvendes til opvarmning af skibet
  • - Spildolie genanvendes i land
  • - El-spil giver 70% mindre energiforbrug sammenlignet med hydraulik
  • - Energioptimerede trawl
  • - Skibsskroget er bygget til at yde mindst muligt modstand ved sejlads
  • - Ledbelysning sparer 40% energi i forhold til belysningen på den ”gamle” THEMIS
  • - Miljøvenligt kølesystem