Innovation projects: groundbreaking for Norwegian aquaculture

A giant: The vessel is 430 meters long, and by comparison, the world's largest cruise ship is 70 meters shorter. ILLUSTRATION: NSK Ship Design

Geir Ove Ystmark, CEO of The Norwegian Seafood Federation, shares the joy with Nordlaks and Salmar.

On Tuesday, the Minister of Fisheries, Per Sandberg, announced that he has allocated eight new development permits, giving the go-ahead for the construction of two of Nordlaks’ three planned Havfarms.

“This is a good day, especially for business development in Northern Norway. It is a positive sign that the government has given another company a green light for a project that can be pioneering for the Norwegian aquaculture industry,” Ystmark told SalmonBusiness.

Safety

Nordlaks initially received 13 permits, something the company considered to be too few to justify the investment that the Havfarm demands. With further eight permits, Nordlaks can now build two 430-meter-long Havfarms, achieving increased security for a satisfactory return on invested capital.

“This shows that the government’s approach to development permits is a strong contribution to developing new technologies and new forms of operation in the industry,” says Ystmark.

“This also shows that industry is capable of a great deal of innovation if politicians facilitate innovation, rather than pointing to fixed technology choices.”

Demanding

Earlier, on Tuesday morning, Gustav Witzoe and SalMar’s visionary “Ocean Farm 1” sailed into Froya in Norway.

“Today, the great ocean farm is anchored at Froya. Technology developments of this magnitude are demanding projects, and companies in the expanding  aquaculture industry will therefore become important partners in the innovation projects,” comments Ystmark.