Aquaculture industry supplier FiiZK has been awarded a contract to deliver two large, closed fish cages to Norwegian aquaculture producer.
Under the contract, FiiZK will supply two of its Protectus closed fish cages which have a perimeter of 156 metres and a volume of approximately 30,000 cubic metres.
FiiZK will manufacture and deliver the closed fish cages at its headquarters in Trondheim, its Mjåtveit facility outside Bergen and using sub-suppliers.
‘We have spent the past twelve months further developing and enhancing our products, streamlined our business to focus solely on closed and semi-closed fish cages, and prepared our team to provide the best possible support to fish farmers that have closed cages as part of their production strategy. We consider this contract as a confirmation that this is the right strategy for FiiZK,’ said the company’s CEO Jan Erik Kvingedal.
The Protectus closed fish cage is based on the best solutions from FiiZK’s three previous Certus, Ecomerden and Starfish models, which in total have completed more than 70 production cycles.
The Protectus comes with a new specially designed floating steel collar with long lifespan and high strength, thereby providing a safe work platform for the operators. A heavy-duty PVC tarpaulin bag with volume of 30,000 cubic metres is the main barrier, while a net provides extra escape protection and is used for handling the fish.
Six seawater intakes at a depth of 30 metres provides abundant fresh, lice-free water to the closed fish cage. Water exits through an outlet at the bottom of the cage, while faeces and waste feed are collected in a sludge trap in the outlet and pumped to the surface for further handling. A comprehensive sensor network continuously monitors water quality inside the cage and in the water column outside.
The fish cage is also equipped with a complete system for automatic O2-regulation and advanced control and management system for automatic operation of the facility and alerting in case of deviations.
‘We are experiencing strong and increasing interest for our closed cage systems. Our concept contributes towards more sustainable aquaculture production, which resonates with the demands and expectations of both our customers, authorities and the end-consumer. We are proud to be part of this development,’ Jan Erik Kvingedal added.
