Quinlans scramble to rebuild Bay de Verde plant, for cod as well as crab

Officials with Quinlan Brothersare going global in an aggressive effort to rebuild and possibly expandthe seafood processing plant in Bay de Verde that was destroyed by fire.

• Quinlan Brothers to rebuild 'bigger and better than ever' in Bay de Verde

The company issued a request for proposals on Friday, just four days after a disaster that captured the nation's attention,calling on firms worldwide who may be able to design, manufacture and supply processing equipment for a new plant.

It's part of an audacious plan by the company to have a new facility up and running in Bay de Verde by 2017, said KristinnSkulason, who manages shrimp processing operations for Quinlans.

"It may sound crazy, but that's our best hope," said Skulason.

The massive plant caught fire in the pre-dawn hours on Monday morning and was completely destroyed by early afternoon, jeopardizing the livelihood of nearly 700 workers from all over Newfoundland, including 500 who worked directly at the plant. There were nodeaths orinjuries.

The plant was a top producer of snow crab and northern shrimp, and was gearing up for a busy 2016 processing season.

The company has already found work for roughly 350 plant workers at operations in Old Perlican, Winterton and Brigus, while more than 40 temporary foreign workers from Thailand will be transferred to plants outside the province.

What's noteworthy in the request for expressions of interest is that the company has included equipment that specializes in the processing of groundfish.

Skulason confirmed for CBC News that Quinlansis preparing for what many believe will be a return of the cod fishery in the near future.

As for the pile of twisted steel and ash left at the site, Skulason said the company expects to have it cleaned up within three to four weeks.