Sølvtrans build new wellboat

The investment of approx NOK 240 million will be funded through a combination of Sølvtrans' own cash pool and loans from Sølvtrans' main banks.

This is the first vessel of a new generation wellboats designed and developed by Rolls-Royce Marine AS in cooperation with Sølvtrans. The vessel will be state of the art when it comes to technology and environmentally friendly solutions, with low fuel consumption as well as emissions of Co2 and NOX. The design also includes improvements in fish welfare, coming from new and improved solutions for fish handling.

"To be able to meet the increased demands from our customers, and in response to the increasing unbalanced market for wellboat servicse, we regard this as a very important newbuilding contract for Sølvtrans. The supply of available tonnage in the North Sea region is already limited, and as several vessels are heading towards Chile, the unbalance is expected to further increase going forward. The newbuilding contract is part of our long term strategy for strengthening our position in the North-sea region", says CEO of Sølvtrans, Roger Halsebakk.

The new wellboat will have a capacity of 3000 m3 and is arranged for transporting up to 450 tonnes of live fish. The vessel will be fully equipped for transport in a closed system that does not discharge anything to the sea. Control of the water-flow and -circulation in the cargo compartments has been a priority when designing the vessel, to secure optimal conditions for the fish. The vessel is equipped with advanced filters and systems for collection and destruction of all lice. This will be the first wellboat in the market that filters the water through a 150 my filter. This prevents the penetration of lice and its eggs, and is thus very important in the combat of salmon lice.

The Zamakona group consists of a number of yards with good capacity. The yard has a long track record of delivering several different and unique vessels, including offshore vessels, fishing vessels and tugboats, and is known to deliver good quality on schedule.

"For Astilleros Zamakona and its team, it has been a great pleasure to deal and negotiate with Solvtrans, a Norwegian company who has demonstrated a high level of technical competence during the whole process. Solvtrans is the leading company in the live fish carrier sector, and we strongly believe Solvtrans will further improve its position in the market thanks to this new acquisition", says Chief Executive Director Pedro Garaygordobil of the Zamakona Group.

"The Ship Building Contract has been signed and we hope that this contract will be the first step of a new business relationship between our two companies," Garaygordobil continues.

The choice of Zamakona as supplier also represents an important strategic decision for Sølvtrans.

"Zamakona's capacity, combined with the valuable experience both we and the yard will get from the construction of this vessel, can lead to reduced delivery times for possible new contracts in the future", Halsebakk continues.

Sølvtrans has worked closely with Rolls-Royce over a long period to design this vessel. The effort has especially been focused on finding new and improved solutions for handling the fish and to construct a vessel with good operational and environmental qualities. Rolls-Royce will deliver the ship design and the main equipment of the vessel in an integrated system. The vessel will be equipped with a diesel-electric propulsion system with low fuel consumption and low CO2 and NOX emissions. This will be Sølvtrans' first vessel with medium speed main engines in the shape of Bergen C6 engines.

"It has been interesting and exciting to take part in the development of this new generation wellboat together with Sølvtrans, and we are very pleased that they have chosen a Rolls-Royce integrated system solution", says Monrad Hide, managing director of Rolls-Royce' ship-design department in Ålesund.

The vessel will be 76 meters long and 16 meters wide. The load capacity of 3000 m3 is divided into three equal cargo holds with sliding bulkheads and pressure system for loading and unloading. The vessel is built with single cabins for up to 11 persons.

The vessel will be equipped with automatic sorting and counting system for fish during loading and unloading, disinfection system with the use of Ozone and complete systems for production, supply, supervision and regulation of oxygen and pH levels in the cargo holds. The vessel will also be equipped with automatic washing systems for disinfection and cleaning of the cargo holds, pipes and channels. This does not only reduce the workload for the crew, but it also makes it possible to always control and keep record that the vessel has been cleaned and disinfected.

All water is recycled in a closed system, preventing emission of possible infections or diseases. As a result, the vessel, like Sølvtrans' nine other closed vessels, is capable of transporting fish from the fish farms to the processing plants, with no spills in the sea of any kind.