Napier takes delivery of Tauroa, the world’s largest harvesting vessel.
Norwegian shipping company Napier has taken delivery of Tauroa, the first of two stun and bleed vessels ordered from Turkey’s Sefine Shipyard. The company described the vessel as a major milestone in its 30-year history and a new global benchmark for processing vessels in the aquaculture sector.
Tauroa has been developed in close cooperation with the customer and was designed by Salt Ship Design. At 70 meters in length, it is described as the world’s largest and most advanced vessel of its kind. Napier stated that the vessel will support its focus on animal welfare, biosecurity, emissions reduction, and increased logistics efficiency in large-scale aquaculture.
The vessel in now making its way to Mowi’s new plant on Jøsnøya, an island to the west of Trondheim that is connected to the mainland by a road tunnel.
Tauroa is designed to load 200 tonnes of salmon per hour and can handle up to 750 tonnes in its refrigerated seawater (RSW) tanks. With a design speed of 14 knots, the vessel is positioned as setting a new standard for efficiency and performance. Tauroa has departed Sefine Shipyard and is en route to Norway, where it will enter service.
Napier specializes in harvesting, processing, and logistics services for the salmon farming industry, operating a fleet of wellboats and processing vessels designed to enhance fish welfare and biosecurity during transport and harvesting operations. The company has positioned itself as a key service provider to Norwegian and global aquaculture companies, supporting the scaling of sustainable, large-volume production systems.
Napier thanked its partners involved in the project and said it looked forward to welcoming the vessel upon arrival.
