Damen Shipyards Group and Folla Maritime have used the backdrop of the Aqua Nor exhibition in Trondheim to launch their new joint venture shipyard under the Damen Folla banner. This marks the next step in a partnership focused on delivering high-quality and sustainable vessel solutions for the aquaculture sector.
The introduction of Damen Folla builds on the strategic relationship, began when Damen became the majority shareholder in Folla Maritime, which has decades of experience in building aluminium workboats, while Damen brings a global network, offshore expertise, and a strong track record in delivering larger, steel vessels. The two companies together offer an expanded portfolio for the entire aquaculture sector from nearshore operations to offshore support.
‘Damen Folla represents a new joint force for sustainable aquaculture solutions. With this joint venture, we unite local know-how with global scale,’ said Jeroen van den Berg, Damen Product Director responsible for aquaculture and fishing.
‘This enables us to provide tailor-made solutions; from agile aluminium workboats to larger service vessels operating in rough offshore conditions.’
As part of this joint commitment to innovation and sustainability, the new partners are proud to present in their first cooperation a preview of their latest development: the Aquaculture Service Vessel (AQSV) 2813. Compact yet powerful, this hybrid workboat (2-3 megawatt hours) combines a spacious 160m² deck with three large cranes, making it ideal for a wide range of aquaculture and offshore operations, from net handling and anchor installation to ROV deployment, transport and towing. This comes with advanced dynamic positioning (DP) capability, a bollard pull of 280 kN, and future-proof design.
Damen Folla has paid particular attention to silent crew accommodation, designed to maximise comfort and well-being during extended operations.
Damen previously supplied the Volt Processor, an advanced, multifunctional service vessel, to the Norwegian market. The Landing Utility Vessel (LUV) 2510 series has also proven successful in the UK aquaculture sector. Folla Maritime recently delivered vessels to Nova Sea and Vega Sjøfarm, including hybrid and electric-powered aluminium workboats.
