April 7, 2016

The Norwegian government has granted approval for Ocean Farming AS to build the world’s first offshore automated ‘exposed’ aquaculture facility with the support of Kongsberg Maritime AS. Ocean Farming will invest NOK690 million (US$82.6 million) in the pilot project, which will have operation licenses granted for a term of seven years, reports Fish Farming International.

The new, innovative facility, which will be built off of Trondheim, will consist of a submerged, anchored, fixed structure that will float in offshore waters of depths between 100 meters and 300 meters where the conditions are more suitable to the fish and where currents will reduce the risk of sea lice infections. The project will combine the latest advances from the fish farming industry as well as the latest from the offshore oil and gas sector. As a supplier of technology and engineering for oil and gas production, offshore vessels, fisheries, and sensors forocean and environmental research, Kongsberg will provide support the project which will be the first in the world to use a “big data” approach combining marine engineering, marine cybernetics, and marine biology.

“To succeed in placing fish farming in exposed areas as a viable solution to address the food gap challenge, we need to integrate and harmonise [sic] a wide range of maritime and offshore technologies, for the fish farm itself and the new vessels that will serve it. This is a unique, highly technical project where we will transfer our technology base and knowledge of developing for oil & gas production units and the most sophisticated vessels to provide high levels of automation and control,” said Thor Hukkelås, Principal Engineer Aquaculture Operations, Business Development, Kongsberg Maritime, in a company statement.

The approval for this project follows on the heels of two other companies, Norway Royal Salmon ASA and Aker ASA submitting a joint application for a semi-submersible offshore fish farm designed specifically to deal with harsh conditions, according to The Maritime Executive. The companies state that the newly designed aquaculture farm will enable the industry to establish sustainable production units in ocean areas that producers have not yet been able to access while also having a smaller environmental footprint. The technology will be able to be sold globally and will enable Norway to help reach global growth targets for the aquaculture industry set by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).