The ice plant is built as a separate building on the quay in Hirtshals to service ships in the port, the surrounding fishing industry and the transport of landed mackerel for Sæby Fisheries.
As an alternative to the traditional tube-ice, Hirtshals Ice Works uses a Buco plate ice machine.
Plate-ice has the same characteristics as tube-ice and is referred to as a wet ice. The plate ice machine has the advantage that the machine is more compact and thus has less space requirements for the location of installation.
The ice is less expensive to produce than flake ice, as it is produced at only -6 to -12° C.