Subaqua-culture?
A joint application for 15 development licences for a novel design of semi-submersible offshore farms has been made today by Norway Royal Salmon and Aker.
The ‘Artic Offshore Farming’ project involves the development and testing of a brand new type of aquaculture farm designed to withstand harsh weather conditions. If successful with their application, NRS and Aker plan to test the facilities in the Troms and Finnmark regions.
"NRS and Aker have an industrial ambition to combine knowledge from the aquaculture industry with offshore competence," said CEO Charles Høstlund of NRS and CEO Øyvind Eriksen of Aker.
"Should the Directorate of Fisheries grant us the development permits, we will establish a joint operation to develop the aquaculture farms of the future," they added.
The Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries awards permits to operators that develop technology and solutions that can solve environmental and areal challenges in the aquaculture industry. By combining NRS' aquaculture knowledge with Aker's long industrial experience in offshore installations and fisheries, the objective is to help solve the environmental and area scarcity challenges facing the industry.
NRS and Aker believe the technology can be sold and used globally, helping to contribute to the realisation of the Food and Agriculture Organization's (UN) ambitious targets for global growth in the aquaculture industry.
The project is billed as a unique collaboration between traditional aquaculture farming skills (Norway Royal Salmon), expertise from offshore construction (Aker Solutions) and environmentally certified fisheries and operations in extreme waters (Aker BioMarine).
