31-metre long salmon delousing barge nearly ready for action.
Cermaq team members have travelled to the Netherlands to take a look at their new Hydrolicer as the team puts the finishing touches into place. “This beauty will be in service at our Tofino region farms this summer,” the company shared in a Facebook post on Thursday.
Cermaq Canada will use the new vessel to combat the problem of fish lice infestation of salmon stocks; a problem faced by aquaculture companies the world over. Fish lice affect the welfare, as well as the quality, of the harvested fish.
The USD 12 million lice management barge that will be ready for later on in the year.
Neptune is currently building the Euro Special Purpose Pontoon at its yard in Aalst, Netherlands.
The fleet will be equipped with four lines (with space for an extra two), which has the capacity to unload 50 tons of fish per hour. Neptune is also building accommodation quarters into the vessel for around the clock management.
Liquid handling and pump specialist PG Flow Solutions are delivering the pump system as a subcontractor to Norwegian companies Hydrolicer Production and Cflow Fish Handling, who will deliver a complete fish delousing system to the barge.
Fish delousing will be carried out using Hydrolicer equipment from the Norwegian company of the same name. This technique uses seawater under pressure to gently dislodge the fish lice. Because no chemicals are used, the method is 100% pollution-free and thus environmentally friendly.