It has been designed by NSK Ship Design.
The Norwegian aquaculture company Nordlaks has confirmed that on April 23, the first fish were successfully introduced into the tank Storbåtsegga. A total of 68,464 fish, with an average weight of 5.1 kg, were transferred from the nearby site at Brottøy.
This project, called Hydra, is a semi-closed production tank with a capacity of 3,120 tons of live salmon. The unit has a sealed roof and walls that extend 20 meters below the sea surface, preventing sea lice and harmful microorganisms from coming into contact with the fish.
Because all the materials used in its construction are significantly stronger than those used in traditional open-net cages, the risk of fish escape is also prevented.
In November 2025, the heavy-lift vessel “GPO Emerald” departed from Istanbul, Turkey, carrying this 6,000-ton tank for the Norwegian company. The closed fish farming facility was designed by NSK Ship Design and constructed by Gemak shipyard, with Maritime Montering now contracted as outfitter.
In the same year, Nordlaks signed an agreement with Greenfox Marine to use its latest solution for the automatic ultrasound examination of fish using artificial intelligence (AI), which enables the gender sorting of smolts.
"Although it has taken longer than it should have and has been more demanding than we expected, we are somewhat proud of what we have achieved with this project," said Bjarne Johansen, Chief Operating Officer of Nordlaks Havbruk AS.