Farmar gets the stone to where the road stops

Text and photo: Sveinung W. Jensen, Tellus Kommunikasjon

When Storm Dave hit Loshavn, it took parts of several old stone jetties with it.

What remained was damage that could not be resolved by lorry and crane from land. This is where Farmar's archipelago service comes in.

IN THE CENTRE OF THE BAY In Loshavn, work is now underway to rebuild Alf Arian Loshamn's stone jetty. Large stones have been brought from the quarry at Opofte, driven to Lundevågen and then transported by sea by Farmar.

Without that transport, the job would have stopped before it got started.

- "Out in the archipelago, we are completely dependent on sea transport to be able to ship stone, building materials and equipment," says Geir Skeime.

He and his son Fredrik work full-time restoring old stone piers and stone walls. Both are clear about how crucial Farmar's contribution is when the assignments are located where the road ends.

- SO FAR THIS YEAR Farmar has helped us three times, twice in Loshavn and once at Skarstein, where we transported 20 bags of crushed rock, eight bags of soil and an excavator. It goes without saying that without Farmar, we would have struggled to fulfil such assignments," says Skeime.

In Loshavn, the job is about more than laying new stone. The aim is to preserve as much of the old as possible. That's why the original stones are preserved and replaced wherever possible. But not everything can be solved the old-fashioned way.

- "We're trying to reuse as much of the old stone as possible. But we have to cheat a little at the bottom to make it stable enough," says Fredrik Skeime.

IT'S ANDRÉ Mosvold who is responsible for the lifts in Loshavn. He drives the Farmar Argo and also operates the crane on board.

The workboat is 14.9 metres long and only protrudes half a metre into the water. This makes it perfect for narrow waters, short lifts and transporting rocks, building materials and small machines to places that cannot be reached from land. The crane can lift up to 1,700 kilos.

The assignment in Loshavn shows what the archipelago service means in practice.

While Farmar often works for larger customers in the towing and harbour sectors, these services are aimed at coastal residents, cabin owners and contractors who need help getting work done in the archipelago.

AND FARMAR provides more than one boat. FFS Amon is also used in such missions. It has a crane that can lift up to 40 tonnes at short reach and four tonnes at 21 metres. It can take 50 tonnes of cargo on board.

The largest crane barge in the fleet is the Farmar Aton, with four cranes, dynamic positioning and a load capacity of 200 tonnes.

If you need help transporting materials, stone or machinery out to the cabin in the archipelago or help building a jetty in concrete or natural stone - contact workshop manager Ronny Christoffersen on mobile 909 74 739.