FFS involved in historic farming project

Text: Sveinung W. Jensen, Tellus Kommunikasjon

- This is a bit of Norwegian farming history. It's fun to be involved, says John W. Nilsen, general manager of FFS.

The doughnut-shaped facility, which is called the Marine Donut, is the world's largest construction in thermoplastics, and will have a diameter of 60 metres, a volume of 22,000 cubic meters and weigh just under 500 tonnes.

THE TECHNOLOGY IS developed by the company Bluegreen from Bamble in Telemark. In September 2022, an agreement was signed with the breeding company SalMar to build the first copy of Marine Donut. The facility is now complete. And the job of shipping it out to the customer is therefore FFS's.

- The cage is loaded on board a giant barge, which is 140 meters long and 36 meters wide. The barge was picked up by FFS Amaranth in Rotterdam. But the actual towing up the coast is done by FFS Arion, says Nilsen.

IN ADDITION TO the towing itself, FFS contributes with various support services - including mooring equipment.

According to Bluegreen, Marine Donut is a cost-effective, closed aquaculture facility that produces first-class fish with a minimal environmental footprint. The new technology opens up completely new and profitable production strategies.

Among other things, Marine Donut has a flow system that exercises the fish, where the flow can be adjusted according to the breeder's wishes. This recreates the environment that the salmon experience in the rivers.

THE FACILITY HAS also water intake under the lice belt. The closed membrane prevents escape, and is packed with digitization and sensors.

- By eliminating the lice problem, the traffic light system should be able to be used positively, says Nils-Johan Tufte, managing director of Bluegreen, to the niche website iLaks.

- We hope that there will be a new licensing regime specifically aimed at the type of technology that Marine Donut represents, so that the concept can contribute to achieving the growth ambition that Norway has set within the farming industry, says Tufte.