The Scottish-built boat designed to put fish first
A £6 million multi-purpose service vessel due to go into service for Scottish Sea Farms was launched today by Scottish state-owned shipbuilder Ferguson Marine in Port Glasgow.
The 26-metre Kallista Helen, designed by Macduff Ship Design for Mull-based Inverlussa Marine Services, will be fitted with a £2.5m next-generation Thermolicer designed and engineered by ScaleAQ in Norway in partnership with ScaleAQ UK, and constructed in Scotland.
The new vessel will enable SSF to implement sea lice control earlier, helping safeguard fish health. The company has signed an initial three-year contract with Inverlussa, a major Scottish aquaculture service boat operator.
Minimal handling
Inverlussa managing director Ben Wilson said the Kallista Helen, named after his niece, Kallista Knight, was built with fish health and welfare as the prime consideration.
“From the outset, Scottish Sea Farms was looking to minimise fish handling and maximise fish welfare, designing the boat around those. The result is so much better when you start with the fish then consider the boat, rather than the other way round,” said Wilson.
The next-generation Thermolicer includes:
- A simpler, straighter pipe layout creating a gentler experience for the fish
- A wider pipe of 600mm diameter to ensure fish have a smoother journey through the system
- Increased capacity of up to 120 tonnes per hour
- 150-micron filtration to separate and collect the dislodged sea lice for removal from the marine environment.
In another first, the service vessel has been custom-built to house the delousing technology internally within a dedicated sheltered deck to protect it from the elements.
The advantages of this design are better operational efficiency, improved seaworthiness and safer working conditions for the crew. It also frees up more space on the vessel’s top deck for equipment, including three cranes which mean the vessel will be less dependent on other workboats during treatments.
There is a heat recovery system to draw heat from the engines and transfer it to the delousing system, saving on both fuel usage and carbon emissions.
Scottish ‘from drawing board to deployment’
SSF managing director Jim Gallagher said: “Not only is the Kallista Helen another important step forward in our drive to ensure the best growing conditions for our fish, it’s also a great example of Scottish business supporting Scottish business from drawing board through to final deployment.
“Events outside everyone’s control have caused delays but we’ve stuck together throughout, stayed focused on the end goal and now we’re back on course.”
The Kallista Helen is expected to arrive in Shetland in early May where it will be fitted out by Scale AQ’s Scottish team and Ocean Kinetics of Lerwick.
Once works are complete, the vessel will operate with two five-strong crews – one from Scottish Sea Farms, the other from Inverlussa – each working three week on/off shift patterns.
The Kallista Helen takes the number of vessels owned by Inverlussa to 11. A 12th boat, the 35-metre Camilla Eslea, is due for delivery from Nauplius Workboats in The Netherlands this summer. It will be equipped with a twin-line Thermolicer with extended loop and heat recovery system and will go on to a five-year contract with Mowi Scotland.
