Aquafarm Equipment and Cermaq Norway launch new closed-floating unit

Aquafarm Equipment has confirmed the launch of a floating closed-containment unit in the water in Harstad with the support of Cermaq Norway AS. In the coming days, the unit will be transported to Cermaq's Horsvågen site to begin commissioning operations.

This new glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) closed cage is the fourth of its kind built by Aquafarm Equipment. The next steps include circulation tuning, sensor calibration, and deep-water intake configuration before the first production cycle begins.

Regarding the collaboration with Cermaq, Production Manager Martin Ramstad said: "We've had many meetings about the processes. We've shared photos and received good feedback and quick responses. Cermaq is a very easy company to work with."

Aquafarm Equipment AS is responsible for the design and production of the Neptun cage, which requires no chemicals for sea lice control, improves the feed conversion ratio (FCR), reduces mortality, eliminates escapes, and allows full control of water flow and oxygen saturation.

On its part, Cermaq has been working for years on iFarm, a method that enables individual-based fish farming using artificial intelligence and machine learning. The system’s sensors feature artificial vision and can recognize each fish individually by its spot pattern.

In June, Cermaq received the ASC accolade of "Producer of the Year" 2024 for the iFarm project. The ASC said that Cermaq's initiatives align with the association's mission to promote sustainable aquaculture and include a pledge to reduce CO2 emissions by 35% by 2030.