Norway throws down the gauntlet for a subsea aquaculture facility!
“Aquaculture will continue to be an important industry for Norway for a very long time, longer than oil and gas. I am confident we have the competence necessary for further developing the industry, based on our knowledge of logistics, supply chain and internationalization,” says Mette Harv, Executive VP at TTS Energy.
She was among the 40+ participants at the GCE NODE Aquaculture Seminar in Kristiansand earlier this month, supported by PERISCOPE Interreg North Sea Region.
“There is, however, one clear drawback,” says Harv. “We know nothing about fish.”
And according to Harald Sveier, Technical Manager at Lerøy Seafood Group, a Norwegian seafood giant, fish is their primary concern.
“It is all about the fish! Suppliers to Lerøy know that even though we pay their invoices, their client is the fish. If the fish is not healthy and happy, it is bad for business,” says Sveier.
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He presented two major innovation projects, launched by Lerøy to help increase production and reduce costs. Both projects involve major steel structures, pumps, pipes, sensors and more components familiar to the oil and gas industry.
“We are always reinventing ourselves. We have to, in order to stay competitive. I would love to see competence and technology from oil and gas help us improve operations. Most engineers working on our floating fish tanks are recruited from the oil and gas industry,” says Sveier.
He left his audience with a challenge: “If somebody can make us an offshore aquaculture facility that can be lowered and be operational 30 feet below sea level during severe storms, we are interested.”
The remainder of the event was filled with networking between the companies in order to forge lasting collaborative links.