6 minute read
Boats and barges
From giant wellboats to nimble electric craft, here’s how the year at sea looked for the aquaculture sector
IN January, we learned that
Cermaq Norway had entered into a deal to build an advanced technology wellboat with a larger-than-usual capacity of 6,000 cubic metres for Norsk Fisketransport AS (NFT).
The vessel will be ready for operation in the fi rst half of 2023 and will have circular tanks for optimal fi sh welfare.
In February, the Gåsø Høvding, the world’s largest wellboat, was launched at Turkey’s Sefi ne shipyard. The new vessel is 83.2 metres long
This page from top: The Gåsø Høvding; Bakkafrost MEST electric boat Opposite from top: Damen delivers new LUV 1908 aquaculture support vessel to Organic Sea Harvest; Ferguson’s Kallista Helen and 30.9 metres wide.
The boat was commissioned for Norwegian shipping operator Frøy Group and designed by Møre Maritime using pumping technology from Cfl ow.
Gåsø Høvding has a total well volume of 7,500 cubic metres. The wellboat is equipped with systems for the sorting and removal of all types of cleaning fi sh, freshwater treatment with reuse, 12-line hydrolicers and an advanced and automated hygiene system.
The group’s Operations Director, Oddleif Wigdahc, said: “There are currently no wellboats to compare with it. Gåsø Høvding takes the wellboat industry one step further.” The vessel was offi cially handed over to Frøy in November.
On a somewhat smaller scale, Faroese salmon farming company Bakkafrost commissioned a fully electric workboat to help reduce the
group’s carbon footprint.
The groundbreaking contract with the MEST shipyard, which is also based on the Faroe Islands, was signed at Bakkafrost’s headquarters at Glyvrar.
The winning concept was a catamaran workboat solely based on electric power from batteries. It can be charged up when power is at its maximum sustainable level. In April, we reported that Damen Shipyards Group had delivered the fi rst of a new generation of aquaculture support vessels to independent Scottish farmer Organic Sea Harvest. The Landing Utility Vessel (LUV) 1908 has more deck space, higher freeboard and a larger crane than earlier models in the series.
The new vessel was built with Damen’s support at Coastal Workboats Scotland in the UK, and will The groundbreaking contract with
SEAFOOD
LOGISTICS SOLUTIONS
Fresh thinking inside the box
serve Organic Sea Harvest’s farms on Skye.
Also taking delivery of a new boat was Scottish Sea Farms. The Kallista Helen, launched in Glasgow in March, is a multi- purpose workboat fi tted with a state-of-the-art thermolicer system.
The 26-metre vessel was built by Ferguson Marine, based in Port Glasgow, and designed by Macduff Ship Design in partnership with Inverlussa and Scottish Sea Farms. The Kallista Helen is on long-term lease to Scottish Sea Farms from Mull-based Inverlussa Marine Services and will be used for lice treatment among other functions, allowing for earlier intervention.
Ben Wilson, Managing Director of Inverlussa, said the Kallista Helen, named after his niece, was built with fi sh health and welfare front of mind: “From the outset, Scottish Sea Farms was looking to minimise fi sh handling and maximise fi sh welfare, designing the boat around those.”
Meanwhile, the workboat AQS Tor nearly didn’t make it to its customer, support services business AQS. The aquaculture support boat fell from the
This page from top: Ben Wilson; AQS Tor in for repairs at Kolvereid cargo deck of the ship that was carrying it during severe storms off the Norwegian coast.
The crew were forced to abandon ship and at one point there were fears both the workboat and the cargo vessel, Eemslift Hendrika, might be lost.
After a day of high drama, the Eemslift Hendrika itself was taken in tow after a team from the Dutch company Smit Salvage were landed on deck by helicopter. Another salvage company, Stadt Sjøtransport, was brought in to rescue the Tor.
AQS Tor was offi cially christened at the Aqua Nor 2021 trade show in Trondheim in August.
In May, we reported that Inverlussa Marine Services had ordered a new hybrid catamaran from shipbuilder Moen Marin. The vessel will be the fi rst hybrid workboat in Scottish aquaculture. The NabCat 1510 is a 15-metre catamaran that uses electric and diesel power. It is equipped with Scania propulsion machinery, Nogva rotatable gear and propeller system, and Palfi nger 65tm and 32tm cranes.
In June, Hydroniq Coolers , Hydroniq Coolers announced the latest in a series of aquaculture contracts to install its hull-integrated seawater cooling system in a new wellboat being constructed by shipbuilder Myklebust Verft.
Both companies are Norway-based and the contract was the fourth in a row between Hydroniq and Myklebust Verf.
The following month saw news of two other contracts for Hydroniq, to be fi tted in vessels being built by Aas Mek. Verksted for wellboat company Solvtrans. In August, the announcement came that Icelandic salmon company Ice Fish Farm had chosen the AKVA group to supply two AC600VR feed barges for its operations in the east of the country.
AKVA says it expects the deal to consolidate its position as the leading feed barge supplier in Iceland. Ice Fish Farm, which is now majority owned by Norwegian company Måsøval, is one of Iceland’s fastest-growing salmon businesses. a farming service vessel that was delivered to Bakkafrost at Glyvrar in the Faroes. Bakkafrost purchased the 241-foot vessel earlier in the year. A former North Sea energy industry support vessel, the boat will be put to use serving Bakkafrost’s Scottish operations.
October saw a grand welcoming ceremony for the MV Bakkanes,
This page from the top: Solvtrans vessels; Bakkanes; AKVA barge In November, a new hybrid workboat for Scottish Sea Farms was delivered that the company hopes will help it to cut its carbon emissions.
The 15-metre catamaran, namedLaurence Knight, can run on electric or diesel power, but with batteries capable of supporting operations for fi ve to six hours at a time its power source will be mainly electric.
The workboat was commissioned by Mull-based boat operator Inverlussa Marine Services from Norwegian yard Moen Marin.
Scottish Sea Farms estimates that the new vessel will help achieve CO2 savings of around 234 tonnes a year, as well as potentially cut fuel costs by up to 50%.
