The FiiZK group has entered into an agreement to divest FiiZK Protection’s lice skirt production business to the Hampidjan Group.
The sale is part of a streamlining of FiiZK, which will focus on unconventional farming methods including closed and semi-closed cages for fish farming.
‘The aquaculture industry is increasingly recognising the biological and commercial benefits that closed and semi-closed cages bring. To date, FiiZK’s cage products have successfully completed more than 70 production cycles, demonstrating strong fish growth and no problems with lice and escapes. We aim to build on this success,’ says Jan Erik Kvingedal, managing director of FiiZK.
Under the agreement, FiiZK Group divests FiiZK Protection’s lice skirt business, which is located at Valsneset in Ørland municipality in Norway, to Icelandic company Hampidjan Group. The lice skirt business delivered revenue of approximately NoK100 million in 2023.
FiiZK Protection AS is a leader in the production and sale of salmon lice skirts for the aquaculture sector and has about 80% market share in Norway. Following the sale, the number of employees in the company will be around 30, located primarily at Valsneset.
The company will continue to operate under the FiiZK Protection banner for the next few months, but the company’s name will be changed as the FiiZk group operates other businesses under the FiiZK brand in Norway.
‘We are very pleased to have FiiZK Protection join the Hampidjan group, and see the purchase as an important step in the continued development of our services to the aquaculture sector, as we already have very strong activities related to aquaculture in many parts of the world, especially in the North-Atlantic Ocean,’ said Hampiðjan CEO Hjörtur Erlendsson.
‘Now we can offer an even wider range of products and services to fish farming companies, further strengthening Hampidjan’s position in this important market.’
FiiZK Protection’s facility at Mjåtveit, outside Bergen, is not part of the transaction. This business, which manufactures technical textiles including canvas for closed and semi-closed fish cages, will be transferred to the FiiZK group company FiiZK Industries AS prior to execution of the share purchase.
‘Our facility at Mjåtveit plays a key role in manufacturing materials for our semi-closed and closed fish cages. Keeping this business therefore supports FiiZK’s strategic direction,’ says Ole Falk Hansen, chairman of FiiZK and CEO of Nekkar ASA.
FiiZK aims to focus on the sale of closed and semi-closed fish cages, with associated software, maintenance and services. A key part of this effort is FiiZK’s new Protectus closed cage, which is based on the best solutions from the company’s three previous Certus, Ecomerden and Starfish models. In addition, the company has recently launched its FiiZK FlekZii Cage, which is a semi-closed cage offering that reduces lice infestation.
