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Aquaculture Magazine reports:
Competitors Skretting and Cargill collaborate on the delivery of fish feed on 14 vessels
The Norvegian company Eidsvaag announced that will build two new feed vessels for Fjordfrende together with feed suppliers Skretting and Cargill. By collaborating on transport, the companies avoid having to run separate transport routes in and out of the same fjords, thereby significantly reducing CO2 emissions. The boats will be delivered in 2026 and will have a diesel-electric propulsion system with a large battery pack, as well as engines that can run exclusively on biodiesel.
The boats will be part of the Fjordfrende partnership established in 2019. Here, competitors Skretting and Cargill collaborate on the delivery of fish feed on 14 vessels operated by the shipping company Eidsvaag.
“These will be state-of-the-art vessels with good amenities for the crew and a cabin capacity for 14 people. At the same time, the vessels will help reduce our carbon footprint and equip us for the future,” says CEO Vidar Eidsvaag.
More environmentally friendly vessels
The vessels will be among the largest in the company’s fleet and will be able to load feed both in sacks and in silos. The size has been chosen so that the company will be able to deliver feed to the between 400 and 500 fish farming sites along the coast in the most efficient way possible. Overall, Eidsvaag expects that there will be significant savings in fuel consumption and emissions.
“It’s been 10 years since we last built a new boat, but this shows that the Fjordfrende collaboration is very much up and running. Modern and more environmentally friendly vessels can help us in the competition for qualified employees. The vessels will also be able to deliver to more exposed locations than other vessels in our fleet,” says Vidar Eidsvaag, CEO of Eidsvaag.
Fjordfrende has now been operational for almost five years and has ensured a robust and efficient delivery system for Skretting and Cargill – despite some extremely demanding years in the supply chains and with higher inflation than we have previously been used to. Now is the time to take new steps, and the Fjordfrende platform now provides Eidsvaag with the opportunity to invest in the necessary new capacity that will not only strengthen the overall delivery capability of Fjordfrende for all locations along the coast, but will also help reduce emissions through new technology and more efficiency,” says Håvard Walde, CEO of Skretting Norge.
“We are very pleased that the Fjordfrende collaboration can invest in increased capacity that will also help reduce the climate footprint of our value chain. “It’s easy to forget how important Norwegian salmon and trout are to the world’s food supply. To contribute to safe and nutritious meals for a growing population, Norway must do its part to increase the supply of fish on the world market. Efficient feed logistics is an important part of the value chain, and helps to ensure good nutrition for salmon along the entire Norwegian coast.
Spanish company Zamakona
The two vessels will be built at the Zamakona shipyard, located in the city of Bilbao, Spain, and will feature a range of innovative technologies to improve the safety and efficiency of offshore salmon farm operations.
The vessels, of NVC 4022 design, will have diesel-electric propulsion systems, an optimized hull shape to operate safely and stably in significant wave heights of 2.5 to 3 meters, and will feature Dynamic Positioning (DP) to maintain their position in the vicinity of the farm platforms.
The two vessels, which will be 71.10 meters long by 17.60 meters wide, will reach 13.5 knots of speed and have a cargo capacity of 2,000 tons.
“Since the delivery of our first fish feed supply vessel in 2013, we have seen a remarkable growth in offshore salmon farming and, with it, the need for more capable vessels. We have learned a lot from previous designs, and these latest vessels are, so far, the most advanced for this sector because of their specific demanding requirements for position keeping, maneuverability and cargo handling,” said Kongsberg Maritime sales director Rune Ekornesvåg.
