Trident Seafoods reported last week it was “entering the final stages of closing deals for three of its Alaska shoreside plants,” including its operations in Ketchikan and Petersburg.
The Seattle-based company — the largest seafood harvesting and processing company in the United States — announced in December it planned to sell four of its Alaska plants as it restructures its operations amid weak markets.
In addition to Petersburg and Ketchikan, Trident said it wanted to sell its processing operations in Kodiak and at False Pass in the Aleutian Islands.
The company has said it plans to retain ownership of its Wrangell plant, boosting hiring over last year to process more chum and pink salmon this summer.
In addition to negotiating with buyers for its Petersburg and Ketchikan facilities, Trident said March 8 it is close to a deal for False Pass and continues talking with multiple potential buyers for Kodiak.
“These are relatively simple, straightforward transactions,” Jeff Welbourn, senior vice president of Alaska operations, said of the Petersburg and Ketchikan properties in a prepared statement March 8. “We’re simplifying the deals to facilitate closing as quickly as possible,” he said.
“We are keenly aware of the upcoming salmon season, and we are confident that the buyers, with Trident’s support, will be able to communicate with the fleet, employees and tenders in the coming weeks,” he added.
The Ketchikan plant, with canning lines in addition to freezing lines, is the company's largest operation in Southeast. The Petersburg plant’s capacity is about one-quarter the volume of Wrangell, according to Trident’s website.
“We know this is an unsettling time, but the company has not been standing still,” Welbourn said. “We’re moving as quickly as possible to minimize the impacts on the fleet, our employees, and the communities.”
Kodiak is the company’s largest plant, with year-round operations to process multiple seafood species, particularly pollock, salmon, Pacific cod and crab. “Even if we don’t close a deal by this summer, Trident will still provide a market for salmon season in Kodiak,” said Welbourn. “This means that our employees and fleet are secure, and we will share a tender strategy soon.”
Trident is privately held, with operations in six countries and about 9,000 employees worldwide.
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