Open ocean pens won’t come cheap
Leif Nordhammer, Salmar’s CEO, told kyst.no that the company has spent over half a billion Norwegian kroner (£38 million) developing a new design of offshore netpen.
Through its R&D subsidiary, Ocean Farming, Salmar is in the process of developing a novel pen designed for farming salmon in exposed locations.
Development permits were introduced by the Norwegian Ministry of Fisheries on 20 November, giving the company the opportunity to progress with the project.
“There is a limit to what detailed information about the project we can give. We will now initially submit an application for development licences from the Ministry of Fisheries. We believe that our project fully meets the criteria for such concessions,” Nordhammer told kyst.no.
He says that a final investment decision will not be made until they receive the results of the licensing process. If the idea receives government approval by the end of 2015, however, the new cages could be operational by the summer of 2017.
“It is likely that the steel structure and composition will be made in China,” Nordhammer reveals.
The CEO adds that his company has already devoted considerable resources to the design, development, testing and quality screening of the project – with the help of Global Maritime, Veritas and Marintek in Trondheim.
“With regard to cost, we have announced earlier that it is estimated to several million, but it is now clear that the total cost will be over half a billion,” Nordhammer said.
