A new fishing factory is rapidly being fabricated in Cape Town to replace the one that burned to the ground on Tristan da Cunha in February. According to a story in the South African paper The Star on Saturday, the Cape Town manufacturing firm Anchor Steel is constructing the new building and getting it ready to ship to Tristan as soon as a crane at the island harbor is fixed.

Andrew James, the South African principal of Ovenstone Agencies, the company that owns the fishing business, told the paper that the fire at the factory interrupted the work, and the primary source of income, for over 100 islanders. He said the company would have a fishing vessel, what he called a “floating fish factory,” in Tristan waters starting in July so the islanders could at least do some fish processing work.

The new, permanent factory will be specially designed to meet the requirements and standards for fish processing of the European Union. The structure is being built to withstand wind speeds up to 100 knots and earth tremors up to 7.5 on the Richter scale. The new building should be ready for use by the beginning of the 2009 fishing season.