850 tonne feed capacity that can easily be upgraded to 1.400 tonnes, says JT electric.
In a press release, JT electric has announced that it has delivered one of the largest feed barges in the world to the Faroe Islands-based salmon farmer, HiddenFjord. The “ship type” barge is converted from a 79m long bulk carrier and has a feed capacity of 850 tonnes that easily can be upgraded to 1,400 tonnes.
The barge will be anchored at a new site just off the west coast of the Faroe Islands in one of the most exposed environments in the world for fish farming. The farm location called Víkum is facing open sea, unsheltered from the brute forces of nature from the North Atlantic.
These extreme circumstances set tremendous requirements to the stability of equipment onboard as the feeding barge can be inaccessible for days or even weeks every year. The barge is equipped with a modern 8 Line Multi-Feeding System, developed by JT electric, that is fully automated and can feed both salmon and lumpfish through the same lines. The barge is unmanned so everything is set up to be remotely operated from shore.
“Great care has been taken to minimize the environmental impact. Blowers and generators have been installed in cabinets to minimize noise pollution, and the grey “military” color of the barge makes it blend well into the environment,” JT electric wrote.
“Building a feeding barge for such a remote and exposed location has been a very exciting project for us because the requirements are extremely high,” said JT electric CEO Suni Justinussen. “This is the third “ship design” feeding barge we have delivered to Hiddenfjord.”
JT electric is a full-service supplier of technical equipment to the aquaculture industry and has been in operation since 1972. By this summer the company will have fish farming feeding systems in operation in the Faroe Islands, UK, Canada and in Norway. The company delivers feeding barges in ship design and standard steel barges.
To compare, Tasmanian salmon farmer Huon Aquaculture’s feed barge “Hogan” – currently the southern hemisphere’s largest – has a 600 tonne capacity.
