New Zealand's first wellboat completes long trip from Europe
King salmon farmer expects 2,000-tonne increase in harvest by using specialist vessel
New Zealand salmon farming’s first wellboat, the Ronja King, has arrived at Picton in the Marlborough Sounds area of South Island after a journey from Norway that took approximately 70 days.
The 18-year-old Sølvtrans vessel, formerly known as the Ronja Nordic, has been chartered by the country’s biggest salmon farmer, New Zealand King Salmon (NZKS), which produces king, or chinook, salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha).
“Wellboat technology might be standard globally, but for our small-scale and niche king salmon industry here in Aotearoa New Zealand, it is a very big deal,” said NZKS chief executive Carl Carrington in an article on the company’s LinkedIn page.
Wellboat technology might be standard globally, but for our small-scale and niche king salmon industry here in Aotearoa New Zealand, it is a very big deal.
“This is truly a major step forward in the evolution of our farming operations and expanding our potential profitability as a company. The Ronja King is forecast to boost our annual harvest volumes by around 2,000 metric tonnes annually, which we conservatively estimate could generate an additional NZ $60 million in annual revenue – increasing even further once [offshore operation] Blue Endeavour is operational and scaled.
“These are the kinds of productivity-enhancing initiatives we need to invest in for New Zealand’s future resilience, especially in the primary sector. The Ronja King is clearly a very welcome addition to our company.”
Open ocean farming
NZKS said the 57-metre Ronja King is key to the Blue Endeavour project, which this week reached a milestone with the completion of the installation of the farm pilot infrastructure (anchors, mooring grid, and two pilot pens).
The pilot pens were towed successfully from their inshore farm location in Te Hoiere/Pelorus Sounds to their permanent open-ocean location 7km off Cape Lambert, over a three-day period, arriving on Saturday.
The company said the most significant delivery the Ronja King will undertake initially will be transferring the inaugural cohort of king salmon to the Blue Endeavour site in around a month’s time.
“Watching the Ronja King enter through Queen Charlotte sounds this morning, and berth at Port Marlborough, was really watching history in the making for the New Zealand salmon sector,” said Grant Lovell, aquaculture general manager for NZKS.
“I have worked for this company for 25 years, and I can’t emphasise enough just how transformational this shift to a wellboat farming model is for our operations, our fish and therefore our shareholders, and our company as a whole.”
Economic benefits
NZKS said that over the next few weeks, the Ronja King will undergo final onboarding and operational checks with local maritime partners, alongside crew familiarisation and trial movements. Once fully operational, the vessel will begin carrying out normal farming support activities, which are primarily relocating stock around the sounds, with its main base of operations being Kura Te Au/Tory Channel. It will come into port periodically for refuelling and supplies.
The Ronja King will have a crew of five, and is expected to bring a range of economic benefits for the “top of the south” region through local berthing, servicing requirements, logistics, and maritime support.
Among other benefits, NZKS writes that the Ronja King is expected to enhance the performance of its inshore farms by enabling the utilisation of its feed discharge allowance through the relocation of fish from higher-risk sites during seasonal changes, supporting improved welfare and optimal farm utilisation year-round.
The wellboat will facilitate safer and more controlled movement of fish between sites, and improve stock grading operations and early removal of underperforming fish. This reduces biological risks and supports industry-leading biosecurity practices, such as single-year class farming and site fallowing.
NZ $8.9m a year to rent
The annual lease costs of the wellboat are approximately NZ $8.9 million (£3.85m / NOK 48.4m) per year but will be covered by the productivity increases it is expected to enable. The wellboat has two well tanks, with a combined well capacity of 1,000 cubic metres, and gross tonnage of 1,276 tonnes.
The company’s Blue Endeavour farm will comprise two blocks of ten circular pens. Once fully operational, Blue Endeavour will have the capacity to produce approximately 10,000 tonnes of king salmon, with anticipated annual revenue of NZ $350 million.
