This year’s ScaleAQ exhibition barge is on its way to Trondheim. Following the event, the barge will be bound for Ice Fish Farm in Iceland where it will be deployed to an exposed location. The barge is designed to withstand extreme forces. It is the first concrete barge that has been designed for use at Hs 5.5 sites.

It can withstand waves of up to 11 meters in height

“This is the first concrete barge built to withstand loads like this,” says Tor Henrik Haavik, Director of North Atlantic Sales at ScaleAQ.

“The barge is certified for a significant wave height of up to 5.5 meters, which means it can withstand individual waves of up to 11 meters. We have made a number of adjustments to ensure that the crew and equipment will be safe on board. It is built solely from concrete and does not feature the traditional living quarter on the top, but it nevertheless offers plenty of space and the barge has a high level of equipment. Feel free to pop down to Skansen to inspect the barge,” says Tor Henrik.

Major investments in Iceland

“In recent years, there have been major investments made across the aquaculture sector in Iceland. Following significant investments and upgrades, Ice Fish Farm has actually become one of ScaleAQ’s biggest customers. In recent years, they have invested in pens, camera systems and feed technology amounting to a considerable sum, in addition to these barges. It will therefore be a particular pleasure to display this year’s exhibition barge, even though it seems there will be few foreign aquaculture operators at this year’s Aqua Nor.”

Tor Henrik Haavik, Sales Director North Atlantic in ScaleAQ

Not yet seen the barge

“We are looking forward to seeing the barge on display at Aqua Nor,” says Kjartan Lindbøl, Production Director at Ice Fish Farm. “This is the second barge we are taking delivery of from ScaleAQ this year. In fact, we haven’t been to Norway to see this barge as yet. The pandemic has made this challenging, but following our close cooperation with ScaleAQ for many years, both here in Iceland and in Norway, we are confident we will be receiving a barge that can be put straight to work.”

About the barge

The barge is a Nova Concrete type and carries a load of 600 tons of feed, its dimensions are 40×20 meters and it is supplied with ScaleAQ’s hybrid system. Furthermore, it is equipped with an 8-line FeedStation centralized feeding system, ScaleAQ’s proprietary grinder and solid ensilage capacity. The barge’s construction and certification is in accordance with NS-9415 and Nytek.

Kjartan Lindbøl, Production Director for Ice Fish Farm