Cold storage spaces on land today are invariably kept refrigerated by means of blower coils. These coils are inexpensive, easy to install and easy to defrost; however, on fishing vessels they have several disadvantages:

• They require a lot of space to be left empty for air circulation thus reducing the already limited storage capacity.
• They cause considerable product dehydration. This is because their operation inherently results in both temperature cycling and temperature gradients across the storage space. These gradients become even more severe when insufficient space is left for air circulation.