Icelandic fish farmer Arnarlax has selected the brand-new feeding barge-series Aasgard from Scale AQ, built to withstand a significant wave height of 5,5 meters (11-meter-high waves) and hold 900 tons of feed.
“We’re used to operating in open and exposed sites. To gain access to more production areas, we are establishing ourselves further out in the fjords – a move which entails increased challenges from weather, wind, and the sea,” Arnarlax CEO Björn Hembre explained.
“Being at the forefront of the technological development is important for us, as long as the concepts we choose are thoroughly tried and tested. We demand a high degree of innovation from our suppliers, to ensure that we can always choose technology which allows us to take optimal care of the fish and the environment they live in,” Hembre added.
The Aasgard barge Arnarlax has chosen, is one of the larges feeding barges ever built.
At the forefront
At ScaleAQ, Sales Director North Atlantic, Tor Henrik Haavik, is impressed by Arnarlax’s strong desire to constantly adopt new and improved solutions.
“Arnarlax have taken a clear stand: They protect the environment, the fish, and the people they work with. To achieve these objectives, they seek out and utilize the best solutions and newest technology on the market, whilst also being very concerned with getting a clear return on the resources they have invested in. Arnarlax expect all their equipment and technology to be of high quality – which makes us very proud to be chosen for this delivery,” Haavik said.
“This barge has room for 900 tonnes of feed, and a total loading capacity of 1.500 tonnes. At a remote site, the high capacity is an important attribute. It allows the barge to hold 900 tons of feed, 120 tonnes of ensilage and 200 tonnes of ice coating simultaneously – without making the barge unstable. Even with full ensilage tanks, full feed siloes and a significant ice coating, Arnarlax still have ample loading capacity for other equipment and materials,” Haavik explained.
Withstands extreme conditions
The barge type Arnarlax has chosen can be rebuilt, to withstand even higher wave heights than it was originally built for. The solid construction and unique bottom mean that the barges can be used in sites with significant wave heights of up to 6,5 metres (13-meter-high waves) – which it has already been certified for by SINTEF. In addition, silo sections modules means that the rafts can be delivered with a loading capacity for feed in 150 tonne intervals, from 300 to 1200 tonnes.
Both the sturdy construction and high loading capacity were important to Hembre and his colleagues when they chose the Asgaard barge series.
“We have invested in a robust barge, which we can use in our most exposed sites – now and in the future. It is convenient for us to have 900 tonnes of feed storage capacity, because the feed boats only deliver to these sites on a weekly basis. We stock the sites with up to 2,4 million fish, which means that the enormous storage capacity is indispensable for us.”
Controls feeding from ashore
When setting up fish farms in exposed sites, several on-site days on the barge is lost because the weather conditions doesn’t allow you to travel out to the site.
“We control the feeding from our offices on land. It has been important for us to find equipment and barges that can be certified for such sites and performs in harsh environments over time. When the crew is on the barge they are always our priority, and this barge is truly built to be a safe place to work.
ScaleAQ’s delivery is well adapted to our specific needs at our exposed sites,” Hembre said.
“ScaleAQ is an important partner for us, both in the delivery of equipment and as part of the structure we have for the maintenance of our equipment. That ScaleAQ has established a strong branch on Iceland strengthens the collaborative relationship,” he concluded.
