AKVA barges in to win big order from Grieg NL

Grieg NL plans well to grow up to 30,000 tonnes of salmon annually at 11 sea sites in the Placentia Bay area in the southeast part of Newfoundland.

AKVA said the contract would be serviced by its Canadian subsidiary AKVA group North America Inc., with the barges built locally. The contract’s scope is for a minimum of eight barges. The final number of barges is dependent upon the final number of licences/sites issued and approved by the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador and the federal authorities.

First delivery in 2020

Final sales contracts will be determined by AKVA group and Grieg NL when the final design of the barges is agreed. The delivery is estimated to commence with the first three barges in the second quarter of 2020. 

Grieg NL is preparing to start construction of a land-based recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) hatchery and post-smolt plant in the Marystown Industrial Park this autumn. RAS equipment will be supplied by Israeli manufacturer Aquamaof.

Grieg will produce sterile fish from eggs provided by Stofnfiskur’s bio-secure facility in Iceland.

Government help

Earlier this month it was announced that Grieg NL had received an equity investment of CAD30 million (£17.5m) in repayable financial assistance from the Newfoundland and Labrador government to help fund its project.

The loan, through the Aquaculture Capital Equity Program, came on top of a CAD10m repayable federal investment through the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency’s Business Development Program.

Grieg NL has invested CAD210m in the project, said owner Thomas Grieg.