Norwegian krill company Aker Qrill Company, which was not long ago spun off from Aker Biomarine, has struck a deal to complete a part-built krill fishing vessel as an addition to its fleet.
This means taking over the 120-metre Kongsberg-designed krill vessel that was ordered by Rimfrost and built at the Tersan yard in Turkey, where the hull was floated off in 2021.
The intention was for the vessel to be completed at Westcon on Norway, before the scheme ground to a halt.
It will now be completed at Tersan and begin operations under a Norwegian fisheries license in the CCAMLR krill fishery in the third quarter of 2026.
‘This partnership represents an ideal solution for both parties,’ said Webjørn Barstad, CEO of Aker QRILL Company.
‘Adding a fourth vessel to our fleet is crucial for our success as we enter the next phase of growth and development. Equipped with the latest and most advanced technologies, this vessel will bolster our ambition to maintain our leadership position in the krill industry and ensure access to renewable and sustainable marine raw materials—vital to meet the growing global demand for sustainable marine feed ingredients with excellent nutritional qualities.’
For Aker, this represents an opportunity to acquire a vessel that is already at an advanced stage of construction, while for Tersan has a buyer for a vessel that project that had come to a halt.
‘We are glad to finally find a solution to a challenge we have been working hard to solve,’ said Tersan VP Ahmet Paksu.
‘This partnership provides valuable opportunities for both parties, and we are grateful for the chance to complete and deliver this vessel.’
There’s a long history of rivalry between Aker and Rimfrost that has seen the two companies in court in a number of occasions in the past, including a tussle over Rimfrost’s krill vessel Juvel, which came into Aker’s ownership and was subsequently sold and converted to fish as Jawhart Al Wusta for pelagic species in the Indian Ocean.
