The tank is made of steel, closed at the top and open at the bottom with a net.
Nordlaks
The salmon farming company Nordlaks has confirmed that its heavy-lift vessel 'GPO Emerald' has departed Istanbul, Turkey, carrying a 6,000-tonne load for the Norwegian company.
The vessel, named Storbåtsegget, is part of the Hydra project and is heading for Hadsel and Vesterålen, in northern Norway, within the county of Nordland.
The Hydra project is developing a new type of closed ocean installation for salmon production, designed to operate in open sea conditions with greater environmental control and improved animal welfare.
The "production tank" is made for breeding Atlantic salmon or rainbow trout. The unit has a weather-sealed roof and walls down to 20 meters below sea level. This construction is intended to prevent salmon lice and disease transmission from entering the fish.
The company is accustomed to dealing with these challenges. In June, it made the decision to cull 1.9 million salmon at one of its farming sites in Nordland county, following the detection of the infectious salmon anemia (ISA) virus in water samples taken from the site.
Nordlaks took responsibility for this initiative in 2021 when it acquired the company Hydra Salmon Company II AS. At the time, the company described the project as "an important contribution to the further development of Nordlaks and to the technological diversity of the aquaculture industry."
The closed fish farming facility, designed by NSK Ship Design, is being constructed by Gemak shipyard in Turkey, with Maritime Montering now contracted as outfitter.
