Norwegian operator DESS Aquaculture Shipping AS has ordered new live fish carriers based on a design developed by Salt Ship Design. The vessels will be built by Sefine shipyard in Turkey, with the first two vessels to be delivered in 2019 and the contract includes options for two more vessels.
DESS Aquaculture’s strategy is to build, own and operate a range of fish farming vessels, and this is the third shipbuilding contract made since the company was established in June 2016. All vessels will be assigned to long-term contracts for Marine Harvest.
The new vessels are 84.40 metres with a beam of 16 metres, and a fish well capacity of more than 3500 cubic metres. The design development has been in progress for some time, and has resulted in a vessel specifically designed for optimum fish welfare, hygiene, quality and environmental aspects. There are several new aspects to the design of these vessels, which are to be built for exceptional flexibility with regard to different types of treatment methods.
Salt has been working closely with DESS Aquaculture and Marine Harvest to explore how well boat operations can be made more gentle for the fish, and what are the operational requirements for a modern and efficient live fish carrier.
‘For Salt, this represents a very important contract, which adds to an order book of thirteen vessel designs under construction at Norwegian and foreign shipyards,’ a spokesman for the company said. ‘Unlike the current offshore market, fisheries and aquaculture are doing very well and these segments represents an increasingly important market for Salt.’
In June 2016, the same ship owner contracted a Sea Harvest vessel based on design from Salt Ship Design.
