Refrigerated logistics plays a crucial role in the marine supply chain, especially in Galicia where a dense business network fuels activity. The growth of fish processing facilities and rising demand for this service have driven the sector into higher production. Investments have surged with larger installed capacity in recent years, alongside new internal organization and digitalization initiatives for groups such as Frigoríficos de Galicia (Frigalsa), Frialia, Hermanos Fernández Ibáñez, and Protea.
Yet the path forward is markedly different. Stakeholders warn that a lack of crop rotation will strain operations in an already challenging landscape, further intensified by a plastic tax and rising energy costs. Darío Iglesias, CEO of Frigoríficos de Vigo (Frivigo), laments that insurers are demanding new requirements, including the installation of water sprinklers or fountains in warehouses and rooms kept below minus twenty degrees. This is a condition insurers are insisting on for policy renewals. All voices in the sector are being acknowledged to renew coverage.
There is broad consensus among firms that the risk perceived by insurers is nearly zero as a reason to press for compliance. Iglesias notes refrigerators are biased toward adding fire suppression devices, but not inside the cold storage rooms themselves. Several reasons are offered. First, the installations reduce storage space, lowering capacity and ultimately affecting billing.
1. Insurance obligation
When policies expire, insurers require these devices to be ready for renewal. The devices must be installed on the cameras.
2. Cost up to 150 euros per area
Depending on the size of the cold storage, the industry anticipates an investment of up to three million euros per company.
3. One more step toward profitability
Sprinkler installation will reduce room capacity by as much as 25 percent, a factor compounded by rising energy costs, policy changes, lower turnover, or a higher plastic tax.
The gap between water sprinklers and the needs of refrigeration facilities is clear. It requires more than a meter of spacing, a constraint that could shrink revenue by 20 to 25 percent at a time when margins are tight across the sector. The insurers’ push is attributed to North American regulations now imported into Spain, where sprinklers are commonly used in dry warehouses rather than in refrigerated environments. Iglesias explains that policy expiry notices trigger the requirement to apply for new coverage.
Product degradation
In the second example, attention turns to the direct impact on goods owned by third parties who rely on the cold chain. If irrigation is skipped for any reason, the underlying crop can be damaged, resulting in a net loss of profitability for the operator and harm to customers. The investment remains substantial, though it is not seen as the primary concern by Frivigo’s leadership. Depending on the premises’ size and the cost of up to approximately 150 euros per area, the potential payout could reach three million euros.
During a meeting organized by Fishing Industries, Nicolás García, director of Protea, estimated that some meat processing plants may need to reflect the higher costs in their prices. Customers are urged to understand the situation. A number of additional costs have emerged from the investments required by insurers and from higher premiums, with both factors impacting cost structures.
On the other hand, the sector faces a need to strengthen its associative framework. The provincial body representing the industry, APEF, has been largely inactive for years. Leaders emphasize regular meetings to share problems and now seek to reactivate those discussions to drive industry-wide improvements.